


Leave It To Lauren

by HoneyBeeez



Series: Hijack Hogwarts!AU's [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: (near the ending it gets really dark im so sorry), Bullying, Hogwarts!au, Homophobia, M/M, OCs - Freeform, Other, Quidditch, Violence, also! most of the magical elements that are in here are a part of the Harry Potter world, except for a few but still, its my old writing oh my goodness i am seriously so sorry for this, minimal editing im sorry about that too, this is a repost of a thing i have on fanfiction from a WHILE AGO
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-01-16
Packaged: 2018-05-12 18:39:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 151,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5676472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoneyBeeez/pseuds/HoneyBeeez
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hiccup and Jack attend Hogwarts, and almost instantly fall in love. Do they know it? Of course not! But after four long years, they wind up getting paired up in every single class! What happens? Mayhem, that's what.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue+Chapter 1

Prologue:

Neither of them knew the other took any interest.

Secretive glances from afar were all they could manage.

They didn’t know the other’s name; they were too scared to ask.

Coincidences seemed to push them together, but both resisted the pull of the world.

Both denied everything they felt.

If they acknowledged the butterflies in their stomachs or their quickening heartbeats whenever the other was near, they would turn into something society detested.

And both could not afford that.

One’s reputation was far too important, the other’s reputation could get undoubtedly lower than before with that revelation.

Everything changed on one fated day when, in a quest to marvel in the other’s good looks, they made eye contact.

Ice blue eyes locked with forest green eyes, and both could not force themselves to look away.

Two different people, two different lives, were driven together by unknown forces since day one.

They just didn’t know it until now.

Either one didn’t know what was happening, but they shared the same thought at that exact moment: “ _I hope this never ends_ …”

 

* * *

Chapter One: Coincidences

Leaving was scary, especially for Hiccup. Leaving meant coming back different, changed, awkward. But it was also opportunity; Hiccup always knew he was different, why was finding out that he was a wizard any different?

Hiccup looked over his shoulder at his father, who was nodding encouragingly at him. Hiccup gave a final good-bye smile, and walked a little bit uncertainly toward the wall between platforms 9 and 10. He cringed when his body should have made contact with the wall, but it didn’t. All he felt was a slight shudder.

Hiccup opened his eyes, and couldn’t believe what he saw. Platform 9 ¾ was amazing. There were tons of families waving good-bye and there was a scarlet train waiting for him to climb aboard. Hiccup couldn’t help it when his face broke out into really wide grin.

He then walked over to the train, struggling with the weight of his trunk, but he managed to get into the train nonetheless. Being a first year at Hogwarts, he didn’t know anyone, so Hiccup trudged along to find an empty compartment.

Hiccup Haddock the Third was not like everyone else back at home. Like I said, he was always different. He was smaller than everyone at Berk, and he looked nothing like his father. He had long auburn hair that almost fell into his eyes, really crooked teeth, forest green eyes, and freckles galore.

Hiccup knew that going to Hogwarts wasn’t going to change anything; he would be the same unpopular, uncoordinated, dorky, awkward person that he is no matter where he was. He knew he wasn’t going to make many friends (not like he wanted any; eleven years without any pretty much convinced him that he was doing just fine without any peer-pressure weighing him down).

Hiccup trudged along until he found an empty compartment. He walked in through the open door and pulled his trunk in with him. He then flung himself on the comfortable bench just as the train took off.

Hiccup got comfortable, and decided to catch up on his sleep, since he didn’t have much the night before (he was too busy making sure he had everything packed… and stressing out). He barely closed his eyes when the door was flung open. In an instant, Hiccup was sitting upright, now wide awake, and his hands clenched into fists, as was his instinct.

In a jumbled mess, a person came tumbling in. Already in the Hogwarts robes, the person stopped tumbling and was just a bundle on the floor. Hiccup looked at it curiously and his hand darted out to touch the person. With a flourish, the person untangled himself quickly and was sitting Indian-style on the compartment floor.

The boy had white hair that stuck up every which way with very pale skin and ice blue eyes. This mouth was stretched into a wide smile, exposing his snow-white teeth. Hiccup couldn’t bring himself to stop drinking in this person. He looked like Frosty the snowman as a person; Hiccup stifled a laugh at his observation.

“Um…” Hiccup said, as the person was still staring at the door with that beautiful smile.

“HA! LOOK GUYS, THERE WAS SOMEONE IN THERE!” Someone yelled in a deep voice that said they weren’t a first year. Hiccup’s cheeks colored as the person stood up and raced out the door, slamming it shut behind him. Hiccup sighed.

“Well, that wasn’t weird at all!” Hiccup said to himself as he settled back down. He closed his eyes, hoping that he could sleep, but his brain wouldn’t let him. The insides of his eyelids only showed him the perfect smile and crystal blue eyes of the person that was thrown into his compartment.

 _Why am I over-reacting about this_? Hiccup wondered. It’s just a stupid, popular guy that was thrown into his compartment by mistake! Hell, the guy didn’t even know that he was there, so why should he be thinking of him?

Hiccup let the subject drop, for now, as the train slowed to a stop. He got up and walked to the door.

* * *

Jack was always the one for attention. He would do anything and everything just to get someone who didn’t like him to laugh. Fun was basically his middle name, and he would have made it his first name if his parents would just _sign the dang papers_. Hogwarts was a dream for him; his dad was a wizard, or so he was told, and there was a possibility that he was one too. When he got his letter, Jack jumped with joy and yelled his lungs out.

So when the Hogwarts-bound train stopped, Jack couldn’t stop shaking from excitement. Everyone filed out of the train, and Jack was one of the first off. He stood at the door for a while, not sure where to go. Someone tripped, and Jack was conveniently there to catch him before the clumsy person’s face could hit the pavement.

Jack caught the small person’s arm and gently pulled him up. He had auburn hair that almost covered his forest green eyes. Jack could spend all day trying to count his freckles, and he knew he would lose count and have to start all over. His mouth was gaping open, revealing cutely-crooked teeth.

Jack let go of the person’s arm, just as quickly as he caught him. He looked away, trying to hide the blush that was creeping on his cheeks but he epically failed.

Someone was screaming, “FIRST YEARS! OVER HERE! ALL FIRST YEARS!” Jack scampered over to the person, who was about 6’3… and just happened to be a gigantic gray-blue bunny. He had dark tribal-like patterns in his fur, and a boomerang holster across his back. Jack looked up at him in awe, and the bunny smiled down at him.

Everyone had passed on, and the first years gathered around Mr. Bunny-Man. He instructed them all into little boats and the boats took off floating toward the school. The silhouette of Hogwarts was dazzling in itself, but Jack couldn’t bring himself to “ooh!” and “aah!” with all the other first years.

Jack was still hung up on the boy that he helped save against the forces of gravity. He was glad he saved him from the utter destruction that would have ruined his adorable face… _Why am I acting like this_? Jack asked. He didn’t know him, why was he so caught up on this one guy? AND IT WAS A _GUY_!

Jack spaced out until he had to clamber out of the boat, which he did so awkwardly. He ended up being ushered into the crowd, and was stuck next to the freckled boy. His heartbeat quickened and he shied away from him. Not that he didn’t want to be close to him, but he didn’t want to come off as a creeper if he was just staring at him while breathing down his neck.

So Jack found himself at the other end of the crowd, craning his neck above all the heads so he could look at Freckles, as Jack nicknamed him. He looked… well, he looked nervous. But Jack couldn’t blame him, he had to admit that he was nervous too. They were ushered into the Great Hall, as this colorful lady that looked like a fairy called it.

Fairy Lady was talking and holding a tattered old hat in her hand, but Jack was spacing out again. He was staring at Freckles; he realized that he was smaller than anyone else, and skinnier too. His robes must have been the smallest size possible, and they still hung off his petite frame.

And from out of nowhere, Jack’s name was called by Fairy Lady. He walked uncertainly up to her as she gently shoved him on a small stool. She then placed the hat on his head. Jack freaked out for a moment, squirming in the stool.

“What the-?” Jack said. Fairy Lady placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Calm down!” She said sternly. Jack relaxed.

“ **Hmm… Jack… you have lots of potential…** ” Someone said, the hat. Jack looked up, and he knew that no one else could hear the voice; it was all in his head.

“ **Plenty brave… You certainly love attention…** ” The hat said, but Jack was not-so-effectively tuning him out. He was staring at Freckles, who was staring at his feet, not even paying attention to Jack.

“ **What’s the matter, child? Got a crush?** ” The hat said, and Jack flushed.

“N-no!” Jack said out loud, causing everyone to give him a weird look. When Jack spoke again, it was only a mutter, “That’s none of _your_ business…”

“ **Of course it isn’t, I just know everything that goes on inside your little head… I know now… GRYFFINDOR!** ” The hat yelled, sending everyone into cheers, a table of red and yellow going mad. The hat, thankfully, was plucked off his head and Jack glided over to the table.

Everyone started talking to him quietly. Some reached out their hands and gave his hand a shake, others clapped him on the back. They asked him all sorts of questions, but Jack didn’t answer one of them. He looked at Freckles, who jerked his head at the exact moment, as if he was looking away from him. Jack just didn’t understand, and he decided not to worry about it; he was Jack “Fun” Frost for crying out loud, why let a little freckled kid ruin his fun?

Jack let himself answer the questions he was asked as “The Sorting” continued. He laughed and talked with the people around him in hushed voices. He let himself make friends in those short moments.

And… he let himself miss Freckles’ real name. When Jack looked up, Freckles was sitting in the stool, looking up at the hat sitting on his head nervously. Jack swore slightly under his breath.

“ **RAVENCLAW**!” The hat bellowed. Fairy Lady plucked the hat off his head, and Freckles walked over to the blue and black clad table. Jack felt himself deflate; he was really hoping that Freckles would be in his House. But, he couldn’t change anything now…

He spaced out for the rest of “The Sorting,” not caring anymore. He looked over in the direction of Freckles, and he was talking quietly with his House-mates. Jack, slumped in his seat, and wished that he was talking to him instead.

After “The Sorting” a big man that had a long white beard and sparkling blue eyes walked up to a podium.

“Welcome to another exciting year at Hogwarts!” The man bellowed jollily. He had a thick Russian accent and was dressed in all red. He really looked like Santa Clause; Jack seriously considered that he was. After all, he was at a school full of witches, wizards, magical creatures, a six foot three bunny-man, and a colorful fairy lady. Having Santa as the Headmaster wouldn’t be a shocker!

“I don’t think I need to go over the rules with you all and I know how hungry you lot are, so let’s get down to it!” Santa said. He raised both arms up and over his head and bellowed, “CHRISMAS CAROLS!”

In a flourish, food in the center of every table, plates in front of every student. Jack stuffed his face until he was sure he was going to explode. Then the Gryffindors were corralled into the impressive hallways, with moving staircases and talking portraits, and up to their common room.

Jack was shown into his room and he fell flat onto his bed, his face on his pillow. He wanted to talk to Freckles! And he was confused… he never felt like this before…

“Is this a crush?” Jack said, and thankfully the sound was swallowed by his pillow.

* * *

Hiccup just wanted to see Frosty again. Yes, that’s what he nicknamed him, don’t judge! Those blue eyes… oh, Hiccup could be lost in those for _days_. His lips, that happened to stretch into the most beautiful smile in the world. Hiccup wondered if they were as soft as they looked…

“ _WAIT! WHAT? WHY AM I THINKING ABOUT HOW SOFT A GUY’S LIPS ARE?_ ” Hiccup thought frantically. He would have face-palmed himself if he wasn’t moving in a crowd right now. Up up up he went, and into the Ravenclaw common room. He wished he was brave, or anything like Frosty, so he could be in Gryffindor with him. They might have even shared a room…

“ _NO, Hiccup. Bad. Don’t think like that. You aren’t gay. AND THIS IS A SCHOOL, NOT A BROTHEL!_ ” Hiccup told himself while taking deep breaths to try and slow down his heart.

 _Deny it. Deny everything, and you might just be okay_. That was Hiccup’s mantra at the moment. His social life was as low as it could go, and just thinking about Frosty made it go even lower. This is a new school, a new start! And meeting, well, _seeing_ , Frosty just ruined it for him.

Hiccup changed into his pajamas and flopped onto his bed. He closed his eyes, and again, all he saw was Frosty. Hiccup sighed, and his eyes flashed open. He didn’t want to torment himself more than necessary. He ran a hand down his face, and sighed again, a little bit more distressed than the first time.

 _This was going to be a long night_ …

 _This was going to be a long year_ …


	2. Fifth Year

Chapter Two: Fifth Year

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

I thought this would get a lot easier with time. Look who was wrong! THIS GUY!

Crushes are complicated. Especially the ones that you think are going to fade away with time if you try to forget about them, but you only think about them more and more every day, and you don’t even know their name, but you’ve been having a major crush on them for four years (well, now it’s five but you get the point)…

My point is, I thought that it would be a one-time thing. Frosty caught my eye in the first year, and then literally _caught_ me, but I thought my feelings for him would go away, especially because… you know, I’M NOT GAY! But over the past years, my feelings only got a lot stronger.

If you want to know how strong, let’s just say I can’t close my eyes without dreaming of him. I see him around _all the time_ at Hogwarts, and I’m so glad I don’t have him in any of my classes because I would be failing every single one if he was there.

Oh, did I mention that Frosty’s popular? He’s on the Gryffindor Quidditch team; he’s a chaser. Every girl hangs around him, like flies on a glue trap, and everyone wants to be his friend.

I am the exact opposite; I hang around practically no one (hey, I like my space) and talk to people only when I absolutely have to.

I was really dreading this year, like really, _really_ dreading it. I have my black cat Toothless, so I won’t be all alone now. But I have been missing Frosty’s beautiful smile all summer, and now I finally get to see it? Oh, I might faint… No I won’t, pull yourself together Hiccup, YOU AREN’T GAY! Who am I kidding? I’m in love with a guy, I think that falls under the category of ‘gay’.

So there I stood, waving bye to my dad one last time before I raced toward the train, Toothless trailing behind me. I saw Frosty, saying good-bye to who I think is his mother. My heart beat a little faster, and my pace quickened. I bounded toward the train and hopped aboard. I found an empty compartment and claimed it in the name of me and Toothless.

I let out a sigh and let my eyes close. At least I got away with that one… Toothless nudged me, and I looked at him. I would never be used to him like this. Ever.

Toothless, a few days ago, was a full-fledged, full-sized, when-you-see-him-you-shit-your-pants-and-run-for-the-hills dragon. Being the inseparable pair that we are… I sort of used some magic to turn him into a cat so he can come to Hogwarts with me. He was now a jet-black cat that had retractable teeth, big acid-green eyes, a chunk of his tail missing, and a sassy attitude.

I smiled at my buddy and petted his head. He arched his back in reply and leaned into my touch.

“I’m alright, buddy. Man, you are going to _love_ Hogwarts!” I said, hysterically talking to my seemingly non-coherent cat. “But the only bad thing is that you can’t follow me around…” I murmured. The cat shot me a look that could kill. “What? Sorry bud, I can’t have a cat follow me around! You would be smushed!”

The cat rolled his eyes, and pounced away from me, clearly annoyed.

“At least your attitude didn’t change…” I said under my breath. Toothless ignored me and I rolled my eyes. I plopped down into my seat and pulled out my wand. I messed with my fur boots, changing their color, until it got boring.

It was getting dark, and I noticed some particular landmarks that meant that we were close to Hogwarts. I muttered to myself as I pulled out a set of my Hogwarts uniform from my trunk. I shrugged off my black jeans and replaced them with the slacks we were supposed to wear.

I tore off my shirt and tossed it on the seat… just as the door banged open. My eyes popped out of my head, and color rushed to my cheeks.

Frosty was in the doorway.

* * *

 

** Jack’s P.O.V **

I was going to do it. Today would have been the day that I finally talked to Freckles, my longstanding crush for four years (going on five, but who’s counting? Oh wait, I am). I knew where his compartment was, the trouble was sneaking away from my friends and getting there.

 But I did it, and it was all for Freckles. I was going to do it, and I didn’t care if the train was close to Hogwarts. I was already in my robes, and hey, that meant I could take a carriage with Freckles, right?

_Wrong._

I found the compartment and threw the door open. There was Freckles, standing in the middle of the compartment, completely rigid. And he just happened to be shirtless. My eyes widened and I took in the small boy’s frame in record-setting time; he was thin without an ounce of fat on him, and his freckles stretched over his shoulders. His arms were tense and in front of his stomach, as if he was scared and was trying to defend himself. Unexpectedly, a stream of words were flowing out of my mouth.

“Uh… Um, oh, jeez… sorry, I- oh gosh… j-just sorry…” I stammered, having no control of what came out of my mouth stammered and back-tracked a little, shutting the door behind me. “FUCK!” I yelled loudly, still outside the door. My feet carried me away from the compartment at top-speed, and I had half a mind to walk in there again and plant kisses all over the boy’s freckled skin…

“ _No. Bad Jack. No dirty thoughts about Freckles. Ever_.” I thought, scolding myself. I ran my fingers through my white hair and tugged at it, none too gently.

“Oh, gosh!” I said, still walking willy-nilly through the hallway. Well, my plan epically failed, but it wasn’t a loss. On the downside, I didn’t get to talk to Freckles at all! On the upside… I saw my crush shirtless. “ _No! Don’t think of that! Not here_!” I thought, having to scold myself again. I had to do that a lot lately.

“Hey Jack! Where are you going?” One of my friends, Xavier, asked. I completely ignored him and kept walking, unable to revert back to my normal, care-free self at this point and time. And I didn’t really feel like entertaining people right now.

My feet carried me to places on the train I never knew existed, and before I knew it, I was lost. But I didn’t care. I was an idiot, and I was confused. The train screeched to a stop, but I didn’t. I shoved passed the general crowd that was trying to get off the train and went in the opposite direction.

Thankfully, I didn’t see Freckles. I kept walking until a severe voice called my name.

“FROST!” It yelled. I looked out of a nearby window, knowing I was in some type of trouble. It was Professor North, the Santa look-alike. I plastered a smile onto my face, not wanting this person to think anything was wrong.

“Yes, Headmaster?” I replied pleasantly, jumping out of the train and walked over to him. He clucked his tongue at me.

“Already want to leave, eh?” He chuckled. “You better hurry if you want to catch the last carriage, Jack.” He voice was kind at his last statement, and I shot him a genuine smile.

“Thanks, Professor.” I said, jogging to the carriage that he mentioned. I clambered in, thinking that I would be completely alone. Who else would lag so much that they would need to catch the last carriage?

Apparently, one last person. And it so happened to be the one person I wanted to avoid right now…

Freckles was sitting in the corner of the carriage, writing something in a book, when he saw me. His eyes widened and then they left me and went back to his book. I sighed inwardly and sat as far away from him as possible. The carriage started to move.

I noticed the Freckles was drawing furiously in his notebook, and I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what he was drawing. I rolled my eyes at my own stupidity.

I tried my best to look unabashed and care-free. I think I epically failed. The carriage stopped and I started to clamber out of the carriage when my eyes unintentionally darted to Freckles.

“Sorry.” I said quickly and then I jumped out of the carriage and sprinted into the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please review!


	3. Schedule Changes

Chapter Three: Schedule Changes

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

I was minding my own business. So, maybe I got off the train a little bit late because I was sort of in shock. The guy that I’ve been liking for years now saw me shirtless, for Odin’s sake! But that situation brought up loads of questions. And only one was pestering my mind: Why did he want to come in anyway?

I sighed. There was nothing I could do about it. Toothless was also having trouble with the whole me-going-away-for-a-little-while situation. I had to tell him repeatedly that I would see him in a little bit. Finally, after the fifth time on telling him, he listened and stayed with my stuff. I grabbed my notebook and charcoal pencil and strolled out of the compartment.

Thankfully, I was just in time and I climbed into the last thestral-pulled carriage. (Yes, I could see them; I saw my mother die when I was twelve.) I shimmied into the corner of the carriage, it was really comfortable, mind you. I didn’t know that it would potentially be my trap.

I waited patiently for the carriage to start moving. I heard voices and hurried footsteps, and somehow my mind didn’t put the pieces together. I was too captured by this picture I was trying to draw by memory: the dragon version of Toothless.

Like I said, my mind was occupied at the moment. So when Frosty jumped into the carriage, my eyes widened and found that my sketch was surprisingly interesting. My fingers ditched the dragon-Toothless drawing and morphed the drawing easily to Frosty’s face.

I went into my zone. I don’t know when I slip into this universe where it’s only me, my notebook, my pencil, and this vision in my head. But when I do, I go berserk. My hand flies around the paper, controlling the pencil, and exacting the vision in my head and plopping it onto the paper.

The blank paper morphed in front of my eyes. Frosty was clearly on the paper; his wild white hair sticking up in every direction (that actually looked good on him), his eyes glinting madly in the moonlight that was shining down on him, his lips turned up in a care-free smile.

I was captured by this picture that I didn’t notice the carriage stop its movement. I saw out of the corner of my eye Jack leap out of his seat… and then he hesitated. He looked at me, but not into my eyes.

“Sorry,” he muttered quietly. Then he slipped out of the carriage, and I heard his footsteps as he made a mad dash for the castle. I took one last look at my drawing and sighed, knowing that this was only a fluke; this was only a one-time thing that would never _ever_ happen again, nor do I want it to. ( _Lies_!)

I hopped out of the carriage and strolled into the castle.

They were Sorting the last first-year as I opened the huge door and slipped inside the Great Hall. I slipped into an open spot at the Ravenclaw table. My eyes darted up, and I saw Frosty look away quickly, like he was looking at me and didn’t want to get caught. I rolled my eyes and pretended to care about Professor North’s speech that he was making.

Questions ran through my head and I couldn’t stop them at all. I had my notebook on my lap and I was tempted to open it up and look at it. Was he looking at me? He said he was sorry… about what? Walking in on me changing? Probably. The answer was so obvious that I almost face-palmed myself. What else would he be saying sorry for?

I tried to stop thinking, I really did, but I didn’t have to try for long. Pretty soon North was yelling, “CANDY CANES!” and food blossomed right in front of us. I piled some food on my plate and ate until I felt like I was going to explode. We were soon ushered to our common room, after walking up flights of dizzying stairs.  

I walked into my room that I shared with a couple other people, but I barely noticed _them_ anymore. Toothless jumped from my bed and bounded toward me, leaping into my arms. I caught him deftly and started petting him.

“Hey bud,” I said quietly. I put him down and he walked over to the window that was by my bed and pawed at it. I knew the gesture, dragon or not; Toothless wanted to fly.

“Later, bud. Now’s not a good time…” I said in a low voice. Toothless growled at me, but his eyes were understanding. I bent down, seemingly to give him a rub behind his ears, but I spoke to him as quietly as I could. “Later on tonight for sure.”

I’ll admit it: I wanted to be up in the air as much as he did.

I ambled around the common room until something on the memo board caught my eye. It read:

“ **Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! Attention:** **Schedule Changes! Gryffindors and Ravenclaws will now have classes together. Slytherins and Hufflepuffs are having classes together as well. Study hard!** ”

A couple people were mumbling about the situation…

“Finally, someone’s got in their right mind...”

“Being with a different house sounds like a lot of fun…”

“We’ve had this coming for ages…”

I just stood there and stared. I’ll be having classes with Frosty. I’ll have to wake up every morning and see his face in class. It’s what I wanted all along, right?

The common room was too cramped; I was getting claustrophobic. I needed to get out of here. I needed to be on Toothless. It was dark enough outside, enough for the both of us to not be noticed.

I ran to my room and Toothless was already by the window, looking longingly at the night sky. I smiled.

“Toothless…” I sang and he looked at me, large acid-green eyes dancing. I made sure no one was around. I changed out of these stuffy robes and threw on a green shirt, grayish pants, a fur vest, and my trusty pair of fur boots. I threw open the window and I climbed outside, sitting precariously on the windowsill. Toothless was right next to me.

I did the spell that changed Toothless back into his dragon form. I hopped onto his back and he leaped off the sill with much more grace than you ever thought possible. We were falling for a moment, but then I slipped my foot into position and flicked my ankle, opening the artificial tail I made Toothless.

We soared through the air, loving the (restricted) freedom of it. We couldn’t go too high, because of the protective spells around the school, and we couldn’t go too low, because of the risk of being caught. I loved it all the same, and so did Toothless. The wind fingering through my hair, cooling down my overheated face and massaging all the tension out of my muscles ( _psssh_ , what muscles?).

* * *

 

** Jack’s P.O.V   **

The first thing I did when I got into the Gryffindor common room was check the memo board. I heard the rumors; I had to find out if they were true.

“ **Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! Attention:** **Schedule Changes! Gryffindors and Ravenclaws will now have classes together. Slytherins and Hufflepuffs are having classes together as well. Study hard!** ”

I saw the memo and I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face.

“YES!” I yelled, punching the air victoriously. I did a little victory dance. I was going to be in class with Freckles. _My_ Freckles.

“Whatcha doing Jack?” My friend, Xavier, called. He always seemed to be around at the worst times.

“Nothing. I’m just happy because I don’t have to put up with those nasty Syltherins anymore,” I replied, not telling the truth at all. I then ambled up to my room with a new spring in my step. I sat down on the windowsill next to my bed and looked out the window with a huge smile on my face.

“ _I am going to have classes with Freckles_ ,” I thought to myself, making my smile widen. I took a deep breath and tried to control myself. “ _I need to relax. I need to be calm tomorrow. I can’t be unreasonably close to him, or hug him, or kiss him…_ ”

“Dammit…” I hissed, catching myself thinking those thoughts again. I pulled my knees close to my chest and banged my head on them, trying to derail my train of thought. My forehead was getting sore, so I stopped and looked at the moon instead.

Perfect timing too, because a dark figure flashed in front of the moon. My eyes widened. What was that?

In an instant, my window was open and I was outside, standing on the windowsill. I was trying to get a better look at that figure… It went by again, and I realized it looked like… a dragon? No, it couldn’t be!

It was, and someone was riding it. There were great bursts of laughter coming from the person on top of the dragon. I was instantly jealous.

“Woo!” The person yelled. “Go Toothless! Oh, bud, this is amazing! Yeah!” I heard faintly. I wanted to know who this person was, and how they managed to smuggle a dragon into a school of witchcraft and wizardry without getting caught.

The figure was out of sight and there were no more joyous yells, so I climbed carefully back into my room. I peeled off my robes (it was a wonder that I kept them on for this long!) and changed into some comfortable pajamas. I fell into my bed and slept.

I dreamed about flying, and sitting on top of a dragon.

And I dreamed about Freckles. But that’s nothing new, it was an every-night thing. Nothing serious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaah! Sorry the chapters are so short! They'll get longer, I promise!  
> Also, there's some OCs that are essential to the story, so I'm sorry if it bugs you!  
> But thank you for reading! Please Review!


	4. Partners

Chapter Four: Partners

Hiccup woke up the next morning with a smile on his face. Last’s night flight was killer. He sat up groggily and got dressed in his school uniform. He hated the uniform; it was so stuffy and it made him feel like he was going to suffocate.

He checked the time. It was only 7:50. Just in time for breakfast. He scooped up Toothless and walked down to the Great Hall. He sat down and grabbed an apple. Today wasn’t really a food day, and besides, he wasn’t that hungry anyways.

He got something for Toothless though. There was a little plate of smoked fish near the end of the table; the house elves always knew the preferences of the residents of Hogwarts. Hiccup grabbed it and put it on the floor next to him. Toothless jumped the plate as if he never ate before.

“Um… are you Hiccup?” Someone asked. He lifted his head and there was a girl standing in front of him. She had hazel eyes that changed to green depending on the lighting, and really light brown hair (that was basically a dirty blonde) that fell to brush the small of her back. There were a couple braids through her hair here and there that actually looked nice. She was carrying a stack of paper and was wearing yellow and black scarf. Hiccup smiled.

“Yup, that’s me. Need something?” Hiccup replied, using the nicest tone of voice he had. That made the girl smile.

“I have your schedule,” she said curtly. “Here ya go,” the girl said, pulling out a piece of paper and handing it to him. Hiccup took the paper gingerly.

“Hey, thanks,” Hiccup said, smiling again. “Um… what’s your name?”

“I’m Lauren,” she said, blushing slightly. “You um… have a weird accent. Where are you from? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.” She sat down next to him, but not too close, so that they weren’t touching.

“I’m from Berk, but I live in the United States with my dad now,” Hiccup said. Why was this girl so easy to talk to?

“That’s so cool. I’ve heard about The States. They seem really fun. I only live in England with my parents and little brothers,” Lauren said. Hiccup smiled at her again.

“How many siblings do you have?” Hiccup asked curtly.

“Don’t freak out or anything.” Lauren said, giving him a weary glance. “I got five brothers and a sister.” Hiccup’s eyes widened, and Lauren suppressed a laugh. “Why do people do that? I tell them about my family and they look at me like I’m sort of a freak!” Lauren said good-naturedly. She was starting to open up, Hiccup suspected, as she became more eccentric and even easier to talk to.

“You’re not a freak! It’s just that… _wow_ , your parents must have been busy,” Hiccup said, astonished. Lauren pretend to be sick. “I’m an only child, myself,” Hiccup confessed.

“ _Lucky_! I swear, Hiccup. Never have kids, they’ll ruin you forever,” Lauren said, acting like a weary mother. Hiccup didn’t really think it was all an act, either. “Four of my brothers are six years old and younger. I have an older brother and sister. I’m the only witch in the family.”

“That’s cool. So you can always threaten ‘em with magic if you have to.” Hiccup said, also opening up. Where has this girl been? Is it always this easy to talk to people? Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Frosty waltz into the Great Hall with a new bounce in his step. Hiccup ignored him completely, not wanting to ruin the conversation he was having with this girl.

“Yeah, it’s a blast. They get really hyper off Honeyduke’s sweets though, so I have to be careful of what I send Mum.” Lauren said. She looked around and stood up suddenly. “I have to go deliver more schedules Hiccup. I’ll see you around!” She said chirpily as she lightly touched his shoulder.

“Bye Lauren!” Hiccup said, a little too loudly, as she flounced away. She looked back at him, a blush creeping onto her cheeks, as she gave Hiccup a little wave. _If only she knew I liked a guy_ , Hiccup thought.

He looked at Toothless, who was looking up at him curiously.

“C’mon bud, let’s get going.” He said, walking out of the Great Hall, Toothless on his tail. He tried to ignore the fact that a pair of eyes were watching him, a certain pair of blue eyes mind you, and acted totally oblivious.

He and Toothless reached Ravenclaw Tower and went into Hiccup’s room. Hiccup grabbed his American backpack (a black Jansport) and placed all the stuff he needed into it. He was ready to head off to his first class: Transfiguration.

* * *

 

** Jack’s P.O.V   **

I walked into the Great Hall by myself, seriously happy that I would be spending my whole day in a classroom with Freckles, you know, if we had the same classes. I quickly scanned the Hall for people I knew. My eyes landed on Freckles, who had a cat eating on the floor next to him and a girl talking to him. The two acted like they knew each other for years.

I tried to drown out their conversation, I really did. But when I found no one to sit with, I ate by myself. My eyes always wandered over to my Freckles, talking to this pretty chick. Was I jealous? Maybe so. It didn’t matter. The girl was too into the conversation to pay my dirty looks in her direction any mind.

I looked at my food miserably. Maybe I had no chance with Freckles. Maybe he just didn’t swing this way. The girl was pretty enough. Speaking of her…

“Are you Jack Frost?” A feminine voice asked me. I looked up, and the girl was standing at my side. She was a Hufflepuff, evident by the scarf she was wearing, holding a stack of papers, with hazel eyes and waist-long light brown hair (that looked a little blonde to me) that had braids in it. She was likable enough, and I couldn’t blame a sweet-looking girl like her for talking to Freckles, so I gave her a smile.

“The one and only.” I said, maybe a bit too cockily. “How may I help you?” She giggled.

“I have your schedule.” She said, holding out a piece of paper to me. I took it graciously.

“Thanks. Say, what’s your name?” I asked casually.

“Lauren.” She replied sweetly. I had to smile. This chick was likable all around, wasn’t she? She was also thin, but not _too_ thin.

“Nice to meet you, Lauren.” I said pleasantly, holding out my hand to her. She shifted the papers in her grip and shook my hand.

“ _Brr_ … your hands are cold.” She said, pretending that her teeth were chattering. I laughed at her.

“Yeah, well…” I said, not really helping the situation. “So who was that guy you were talking to?” Lauren’s eyes narrowed, as if she saw something suspicious in my question.

“Why don’t you ask him and find out? He just left.” She pointed out. I wrinkled my nose at the idea. Me? Talk to my longstanding crush? My will power isn’t that strong; I’ll probably end up jumping the guy and planting kisses all over his face.

Oh God, I hope my thoughts didn’t play out all over my face!

“Ah, I’m lazy.” I whined. “I’ll do it later.”

“If you really want to know, just ask him. He’s really fun to talk to.” She said, giggling slightly. I pouted at her. “I’m not going to tell you his name, Jack.” She said sternly, her eyes narrowing.

“You’re so mean to me!” I whined, and made her laugh even more. She settled down into the seat next to me.

“So what? Do you like him or something?” Lauren said, in a hushed voice. There was something in her voice that reminded me of a friend that was asking for all the juicy details of a date. I sputtered.

“Pssh! What? Ha, pfft. No.” I said, not too convincing. Lauren burst out laughing. “I _don’t_ like him, Lauren.”

“Of course you don’t.” She sang quietly, as she nudged my shoulder. “I won’t tell a soul.” She breathed, smiling.

“You better take this to the grave. If you tell anyone, especially _him_ , I’ll-” I said, narrowing my eyes at her this time.

“Why would I do something like that? I’m not cupid or something!” Lauren said, laughing. “Well, I got to deliver more schedules. I’ll see you later, Jack?”

“Yeah, well now I have to see you. Gotta make sure you don’t tell my secret.” I said playfully.

“Yeah, yeah.” Lauren said, touching my shoulder as she flounced away.

There was something about her that made it so easy to talk. Things just flew out of your mouth and you don’t even know why. She would be the perfect private investigator, always getting the dirt out of you one way or another.

I liked her. Lauren was friendly, and nice, and she was going to keep my secret. But now I had to talk to her; she was the only one that knew. I shook my head, looking scornfully at the remaining food on my plate. I was in no mood to eat it.

I got a new friend, and it was one I didn’t want. I was bound to her, because if I pissed her off, even a little bit, my secret would be out and I would be dubbed as the “Fag of The Century.”  

I shook my head again, then left the Great Hall. “ _Perfect_ ,” my brain said, “ _Just someone else to please_.” I went to Gryffindor Tower, and grabbed my stuff. I pushed everything I needed into my rucksack and went to my first class.

Transfiguration.

* * *

 

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

I walked into the classroom confidently. I knew I was good in this subject, and the teacher was a favorite of mine. I gave her a smile.

“Hello, Professor Tooth,” I said, a little bit too happy considering the time. The professor looked at me, her magenta/pink eyes glinting like mad. She was an Animagus, and she was currently floating about two feet off the ground. She was a Fairy, colors of green, blue, and yellow streaked over her feathery body.

“Hiccup!” She said happily. “How did I know you would be first into class? How was your summer?”

“Good.” I said, then amended myself. “Great, really. I’m just glad to be back here, you know? This place has always felt like home.”

“I’m glad to hear it. What about those drawings? Getting anywhere?” Professor Tooth chirped.

Two years ago, she caught me drawing all over the desks and scraps of parchment, and I always used an erasing charm to get rid of them. She was the one that encouraged me to get a journal or notebook to draw in. Since then, I’ve been drawing all the time. I’ve actually gotten pretty good.

“Getting somewhere, maybe.” I said, pulling out the leather-bound notebook and tossing it on her desk. She picked it up and flipped through the pages, her mouth dropping at every page.

“Hiccup! This is amazing!” Tooth said, flitting in happy circles around me. Then she flipped the page again. And she froze. Her feet touched the ground. “Who’s this?” She asked. She pointed at a picture and turned the book towards me.

Her finger was pointing at my picture of Frosty on the carriage. I forgot that was in there. I snatched the notebook back, quickly shutting it in lightning speed.

“That’s no one, someone back home, that’s all.” I said just as students started to file into the classroom. I stuffed the notebook back into my backpack, and I knew I was going to take it out sooner or later. I had to erase that picture… how could I forget?

I found a desk in the corner of the classroom and sat in the chair closest to the wall, letting my left shoulder lean onto the wall. Everyone started to sit down, no one sat by me. I was glad for it. I took out the notebook and started erasing the picture using an invisibility charm; I wasn’t really going to erase it. I was going to duplicate it on a different piece of paper in my free time.

“Okay, class!” Professor Tooth chirped happily as the last person strode into the classroom. It was Frosty… I looked away quickly and put the book back into my backpack. “This year, we’re going to work with partners.”

Groan. I somehow knew where this was going. Fate must have hated me.

“Now, now, class, don’t be like that. You’ll be working with your partner all year, so deal with it.” Tooth said, reprimanding all the people that thought like me. I buried my head into my arms, knowing that the world hated me. I tuned out the list of partners.

“Okay find your partners, everyone!” Tooth said chirpily. I turned red, not knowing who I was paired up with. I walked over to Tooth’s desk.

“Professor Tooth, um… who’s my partner?” I asked in a shy voice.

“PROFESSOR TOOTH!” Someone yelled as they stormed up to the desk. “I have absolutely no idea who my partner is!” It was Frosty, his face screwed up in confusion and frustration. Tooth just smiled.

“Jack, meet Hiccup. Hiccup, Jack. You two are partners.” Tooth said happily. I groaned inwardly. Yup, the universe hated me.

“Hiccup? What kind of name is that? Do your parents hate you or something?” Jack said, laughing. I was already turning away and heading back to my desk, rolling my eyes. A hand caught my shoulder. The touch left my stomach doing cartwheels.

“Hey dude, I was only kidding.” Jack said, still a hint of a laugh in his voice.

“Oh, yeah, sure you were. “ I said, my voice leaking with sarcasm. “Well, what kind of name is Jack? It’s so generic, you might as well be Jack Frost of something.”

“I am Jack Frost.” He said, reaching my desk as I rolled my eyes. “No, I’m serious. That’s my name.”

“Well, Hiccup is _my_ name, so… deal with it.” I spat, plopping down into my seat. Why did I like this guy? I rolled my eyes at my own stupidity.

“Geez, didn’t think you would be so touchy about it.” Jack said, pouting as he sat down in the seat next to me. He was a little too close, our shoulders were touching. I tried to figure out if I liked the feeling or not. Jack had no problem whatsoever with the contact.

“Now, class! As you know, this year you will be taking your N.E.W.Ts…” Tooth said, which earned another groan from the class. “Quit your whining! Groan again and you’ll all be working on a fifty-inch essay about how candy can erode tooth enamel!”

Oh, did I mention that Professor Tooth has a thing for teeth? Well, she does. The class was quiet. Deathly silent. Jack wiggled in his seat, moving me along with him.

“Anyways, you’ll be practicing with your partner that spell of the day, until you master it. Then, the next day, both of you will be tested on it. Your N.E.W.T will be on every spell you should have learned for the year. Easy enough, am I right?” Tooth explained.

“This should be easy,” I mumbled. Jack shot me a glance.

“What are you, some kind of genius or something?” Jack grumbled back good-naturedly, the little fallout of three seconds earlier _clearly_ out of his mind. I scoffed at him.

“No, I just happen to be Albert Einstein reincarnated.” I said rolling my eyes. Jack laughed. “I didn’t think you would know who that was.” I deadpanned.

“You know what, Hic? I like you.” Jack said, making himself blush a bit. It made me freeze. Did that really just come out of his mouth? I avoided making eye contact as I stared down at the very interesting table top.

“No, you don’t. You don’t know me, not at all. You can’t like me.” I said quietly, but he had better hearing that I expected.

“I know you enough.” Jack said leaning closer towards me, and I knew he was smirking even if I didn’t see it. That damn, hot, sexy little smirk... I shook my head softly.

“Today, we will be reviewing some spells you should have learned last year. We’ll be doing this for the rest of the week.” Tooth’s voice came, and I was glad for the distraction.

“Whatever,” I said in response to Jack and he laughed. Tooth magicked some papers to fly around the class, passing themselves out. Jack and I deftly caught our copies.

“A worksheet?” Jack said questioningly. “She has got to be kidding me.”

“NO CHEATING!” Tooth called. I was already putting my name at the top of the paper. Jack was following suit. I was filling out the worksheet and Jack was doing the same, eyes fixed on his own paper as he got a conversation going.

“So what do you like to do, Hic?” He said

“Don’t call me ‘Hic’.” I said. “It sounds dumb.”

“Okay, fine. What do you do for fun, _Hiccup_?” Jack said, stressing my full name. I smiled, liking how my name sounded when he said it.

“I usually go flying on-…” I said, not checking the words that came out of my mouth. I sighed. Why was I about to say that? I felt like I was talking to Lauren all over again.

“You fly? Aw, man, what broom do you ride? How come you don’t play Quidditch?” Jack said, still filling out his paper but there was genuine excitement in his voice.

“Um… I’m not really one for the um, spotlight, so to speak. I don’t do sports.” I said, acting like it was the most obvious answer in the universe.

“But you said you fly!” Jack whined.

“I do fly! As in, airplanes.” I said, making up a lie easily. Jack shot me a quizzical look. “Muggle air travel, smart one.” I deadpanned. “Geez, for a guy that knows who Albert Einstein is, you’re pretty dumb.”

“Hey!” Jack said, a little too loudly. “I’m not dumb! Not everyone knows what an airplane is, Hiccup!”

“Whatever,” I said, rolling my eyes. This class was taking forever! “What do you do for fun, Jack?” My attempt to pass the time was as lame as his.

“Quidditch, mostly. But when I was at home, I used to play with my little sister.” Jack said, and I noticed a small smile grace his lips. “Gosh, I miss her so _much_ sometimes…”

“You know, it’s only the second day being here,” I said. This was a different side of Frosty that I never saw… ever. His eyes looked like they had excess water in them. This side of Frosty… well, he wasn’t so frosty anymore. _Aww, so he did have a heart._

“No, Hiccup. She… she died. She was only four.” Jack said, his voice as quiet as it could be. He refused to let the tears fall out of his eyes. I stopped all my work as my heart broke silently for him. I dropped my pencil and my hand flew to his shoulder. Why was I so damn impulsive?

“I’m… so sorry, Jack. I know how you feel. My mother died when I was twelve.” I said, having no idea what possessed me to do so. Jack started to lift his head and I quickly removed my hand from his shoulder and turned my attention onto my work.

* * *

 

** Jack’s P.O.V **

What freaking entity possessed me to start talking about my sister? I was dealing with her death just fine until freaking _now_!

But… but Hiccup knew how I felt. His… his mom died only three years ago. And he was touching my shoulder. I felt my body heat sky-rocket and my heart beat quicken. I fought the urge to pull him into a hug and rake my fingers through his auburn hair…

I lifted my head to stare into those green eyes that I could be lost in forever, when his hand dropped from my shoulder and he became invested into his worksheet that he already finished.

“I’m sorry, Hiccup,” I said, looking at his profile.

“You don’t need to be so damn sorry all the time,” Hiccup said, a little smile playing on his lips. Somehow, that sentence said a lot more. Was he saying that I didn’t have to be sorry for walking in on him yesterday?

“Wait, what does that-?” I started to ask when the bell rang.

“OKAY EVERYONE! PUSH IN YOUR CHAIRS AND GET TO YOUR NEXT CLASS!” Tooth was yelling as she summoned all our worksheets. I pushed my things into my rucksack, and opened my mouth to talk to Hiccup, when I noticed he was already at the door, walking away without me. I dashed after him.

“Hey, Hiccup!” I yelled as I swerved through the crowd. Hiccup turned his head and waited for me to catch up. After I did, we fell into step and continued down the hallway.

“So what class do you have next?” I asked nonchalantly. Hiccup clicked his tongue.

“Don’t you have other people to hang out with?” He said, his voice had a hint of self-loathing.

“Just answer the question, Hic!” I said, laughing.

“I said not to call me that!” Hiccup said, getting mad.

“Oh, come on! I always give my friends nicknames!” I argued, poking his shoulder with my free arm. He swatted my hand away, not even looking in my direction.

“I’m not your friend! We didn’t even know each other existed until today!” Hiccup said, not knowing how untrue that statement was.

“Technically, we’ve known of each other for four years, we just haven’t talked until now.” I pointed out. Hiccup rolled his eyes again. “You still haven’t answered my question!” I yelled, like that was the most important thing at this point.

“I don’t see why this is so important to you!” Hiccup said, acting annoyed as he pulled out his schedule from his unusual American backpack. “Um… Herbology. Happy now, Frosty?” I snatched the paper out of his hand and looked at it.

_Transfiguration- Professor Tooth_

_Herbology- Professor Longbottom_

_Charms- Professor ManSnoozie_

_Break_

_Lunch_

_Potions- Professor Pitch_

_Defense Against The Dark Arts- Professor Bunnymund_

“Oh, cool. We have, like, the exact same schedule. I might as well walk you to class.” I said innocently, handing back his schedule as his words soaked in. “Wait, you can give me a nickname, but I can’t give you one? That’s just plain hypocrisy, Hic!”

“Oh, gods. You know what, fine. Give me a nickname, anything but ‘Hic’.” Hiccup said, defeated. I pretended to be lost in thought on choosing another nickname for him. I couldn’t think of anything else, don’t blame me.

“How about ‘Freckles’?” I said, with a smirk on my face.

“So original, Frosty. I thought you had some class.” Hiccup said, sarcasm dripping from his words.

“It has been decided then. We both have nicknames for each other, so we are automatically friends now!” I said, throwing my hands in the air in triumph. He had no idea that I wanted to be so much more than that… _Not here. Oh gosh, not when I’m with him! Stop thinking Jack!_

“I don’t know why you would want to be my friend, but okay.” Hiccup said, and I had a feeling he wasn’t being sarcastic. I slapped the back of his head. His hand flew to the abused spot and rubbed it. “OW! Why would you-?” He said, turning to look at me.

Our eyes met for the first time. And it was like the world ended. Everything was in slow-motion, and we stopped walking right in the middle of the hallway. Hiccup’s hand fell away from his head and fell idly at his side. His beautiful bright green eyes were amazing, how they just light up when he thinks and how they scrunch up when he smiles… We were automatically closer to each other, so close that I felt his breath mingle with mine.

_I hope this never ends…_

But of course, like everything else, it ended.

* * *

 

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

Man, his eyes were amazing. I’m telling you, I could be lost in them for all eternity and not even know it. Was it me, or were we getting closer together? Oh gods…

“HEY HICCUP!” A voice called, and snapped us both out of our little gaze. I looked around and saw Lauren rushing towards me. I didn’t know if I was mad at her or relieved to see her. All I knew was that she had some _really_ good timing.

“Hey, Lauren…” I said shakily, rubbing my neck and plastering a smile onto my face. “What’s up?”

Before I could even get the question out, she was in my arms, hugging me tightly. I didn’t know what was going on so I hugged back and tried to not look at Jack. Then Lauren started whispering in my ear furiously.

“Look. I need help with Charms and I know you’re the top of our class. Can you help me?” She said, it was barely above a whisper and when she spoke her lips brushed my ear.

“Yeah totally.” I breathed.

“Okay, meet me at the library after school.” She breathed back before she let go of me and her voice went to normal level. “Man, you’re a good hugger, Hiccup! Well, gotta get to class! See ya around!” She called as she touched my shoulder and flounced off.

“See ya!” I called at her, waving. Jack laughed.

“Well, _someone’s_ got himself a little girlfriend.” Jack said.

I rolled my eyes at him and started walking. He didn’t know how untrue that statement was. I had to bite down hard on my lip to keep from saying, “ _please, the only person I want is you_.” That would be a stupid move. I mean, he just started talking to me today! And he said he wanted to be my friend. He was walking me over to our class, for goodness sake! He could have ditched me for his other friends but he stayed with _me_.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” I said. I was still kind of confused in that department too. Did Lauren like me? No one has ever just given me a hug before, or blush when I’m talking to them, or even touch my shoulder when they’re leaving like they really honestly wanted to stay…

“She is pretty cute.” Jack said matter-of-factually. “What’s her name? Lauren?” He said, looking at me quizzically.

“Yeah. She’s pretty sweet.” I said, leaving out what I said in my head: “ _Sweet enough to make you gag_.”

“So, are you gonna ask her out?” Jack said, looking down at his feet. Did I detect sadness in his voice? Or was it just my imagination? I couldn’t tell him that I didn’t like girls, so I played along.

“Ah, maybe. I think I’ll get to know her better before I make a move.” I said, cheerfully, trying to make Frosty smile. “I know she can’t resist all this raw Viking-ness.”

Jack laughed, and he laughed _hard_. He laughed harder than he did when he first heard my name! I laughed along with him. Somehow, I knew that one little line convinced him that I wasn’t going to ask Lauren out. We were outside now, heading over to the greenhouses. Professor Longbottom was sure to be there already.

“V-Viking-ness?” Jack managed to say, as he wiped tears off of his face. “Where did that come from?”

“It’s a… it’s a long story. I’d rather save it for another day, really.” I said shrugging. Jack just laughed and shook his head.

“I like you, Freckles. You sure are something else.” He said, and there was a hint of fondness in his voice. I blushed slightly and tried to hide it by paying _real_ close attention to my footing.

We reached the greenhouses and walked inside. As I predicted Professor Longbottom was already there, walking around and making sure the plants were okay for today’s lesson.

“Morning, Professor.” I said pleasantly. I liked Professor Longbottom; not only was he an awesome Herbology teacher, he was actually pretty decent with his wand too. He won against Professor North in a duel last year, and that’s pretty impressive.

“Hiccup!” He said, holding out his dirt-covered hand to me. I took it without hesitation. “Nice to see you again! How was your summer?”

“Good. Did a little of this, little of that. Same old, same old. How about you?” I said. Was it sad to say that before Jack and Lauren, the professors were my only friends?

“Very good, thank you.” Longbottom said, chuckling slightly. The earlier students watched our conversation with their mouths hanging open, even Jack was stunned. I gave another smile to the professor and walked off, Jack trailing behind me.

“Is that how you get good grades? Sweet talk the teachers?” Jack said, voice filled with awe. I had to laugh at him.

“No, I do my work. I just happen to be on good terms with the teachers, and sure, I guess that helps…” I said, not helping my situation at all.

“You are such a teacher’s pet.” Jack said, pushing my shoulder and laughing at me. I had to bit my lip, again, to stop myself from saying a dirty remark. What was wrong with me today? I had to laugh with Jack, to ease the tension.

“Hey, are you okay?” Jack said, turning his head and looking at me. Our faces were a little too close together. I resisted the urge to close the gap.

“Oh, what? Yeah, I’m fine, just… just spacey, that’s all.” I said, brushing it off. Jack hesitated to move, but he did eventually, and shrugged at me.

“Whatever.” He said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THAT'S A LOT OF POV CHANGES!! IM SO SORRY!   
> but yeah, ya see what i meant by those OCs? its for a good reason, i promise  
> Thanks for reading! I really appreciate it! Please Review!


	5. The Library

Chapter Five: The Library

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

The rest of the day passed with ease. After Herbology, Jack and I had Charms, then a break, lunch, Potions and then Defense Against the Dark Arts together. We had a blast, and we actually were becoming really good friends. The sixth class had just ended and Jack and I were walking the corridors together.

“Oh my gosh, that look on Tyler’s face when you shot that hex at him!” Jack said jumping around and laughing.

We were dueling today, just a fun way to kick off the new school year. I shot a hex at my dueling partner, Jack _obviously_ , when he dodged it and almost hit Tyler, a pudgy little Gryffindor, in the face. He had screamed, and Jack and I fell on the floor laughing. I had to laugh.

“His face? You should have seen yours when I got you with that Tap-Dancing Spell! Aw, it was priceless!” I said, laughing just as loud as Jack was. We nearly fell on the floor again.

I was thinking about how nice it was to be able to have this easy-going, carefree relationship with Jack. Even though I would probably be stuck in the friend zone, it was nice to know him a little more, you know?

I remembered about the date I set up with Lauren.

“Jack. I gotta go. See you at dinner?” I said suddenly. He stopped laughing and gave me a smile.

“It’s a date. I gotta go too. See ya.” Jack said, punching my arm lightly as he ran off, leaving me there to stare at him.

Did he just say, “ _it’s a date_ ”? I shook my head, dismissing the phrase as Jack just being Jack and race to the library. Lauren was already there, waiting for me.

“Sorry I’m late.” I said, out of breath. Lauren just beamed at me, like she was the luckiest girl in the world because I was hanging out with her.

“No problem. So how was your day, Hiccup?” She asked cheerfully.

“Pretty good, for the first day back, you know?” I said. She nodded enthusiastically. “How about you?”

“Today was really good, thanks for asking.” She said, smiling a little.

“So, you needed help with Charms?” I asked as I was starting to pull out my Charms book from my backpack. In an instant, her hand was on top of mine, pushing my book back into my bag.

“No. I’m the top of my class. I just wanted an excuse to talk to you, you know?” Lauren said, her hand leaving mine as her face bloomed with color.

“Oh… okay then. So what do you want to talk about?” I said, suddenly uneasy.

We talked for a while. I told her how my mother had passed, she told me how her little brother was in the Muggle hospital for over a month. We talked about all sorts of things, like our hobbies and what we were good at.

I couldn’t help but smile during the whole thing. Where was this girl all these years? It was so easy to talk to her, to trust her, to like her. She was the person that didn’t care, that said, “ _Yeah, you got a problem with my friend? Deal with it_!” I knew I could tell her everything, I almost told her about Toothless, but that one had to be kept a secret. It was a good thing she didn’t ask about pets.

“So… do you like anyone?” She said, batting her eyelashes at me. I froze.

“Um… no. Not really.” I said, looking anywhere but at her. My body language ratted me out, I knew it.

“C’mon Hiccup! I know there’s someone out there that catches your fancy!” She said, leaning closer to me. I couldn’t deny this girl anything, not even my deepest secret.

“Fine, maybe I do like someone…” I said finally, my voice cracking.

“Ooh! I knew it! Tell me everything!” She squealed excitedly. I started to calm down a little; her response told me she obviously didn’t expect me to like her.

“I… I don’t want anyone to overhear…” I said, looking at her. She was digging through her backpack and pulled out a piece of parchment and I pulled out a pencil. I carefully tugged the parchment towards me and hunched over it, making sure no one saw what I was writing.

In the middle of the parchment, I wrote “ **Jack Frost** ” in tiny letters. I folded the paper hurriedly and pushed it toward Lauren, who opened it. She looked at the words and her mouth fell open, putting the pieces together. She shut the paper quickly and clutched it to her chest.

“Oh my God…” She muttered. “You… _you_ … oh my _God_.” She kept saying that, not able to form a complete sentence. I snatched the paper back from her and ripped it up into tiny pieces. I dropped the pieces and my pencil into my bag and made to leave.

“Yeah yeah, I get it. ‘ _EW, you’re gay. Get away from me_!’” I said imitating a girly voice. “I won’t bother you again, I promise.” I said, shooting her a glance before I turned around. She was still sitting there, in shock probably. I trudged about two steps when something grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. Again, Lauren was hugging me.

“Why would I say something like that? I have no problem whatsoever with you liking a guy!” She said in my ear. Her words shocked me and I circled my arms around her small waist.

“Really?” I said, choking. She was the first person I told, the _only_ person I’ll ever tell, and she wasn’t disgusted. It almost brought tears to my eyes.

“Yes really! Hiccup, I don’t care, okay?” Lauren said, letting go of my neck and cupping my face in her hands. My hands were still wrapped around her waist. “To me, none of that matters. None. I love you for you, and nothing could change that!” She said softly. Then she did the most shocking thing in the world.

She kissed me on the cheek. She made me change color in record time, and all I did was stare at her. Some people sighed at us dreamily. The librarian even sighed, “Oh, young love,” as she walked off.

I quickly let go of her and she let go of me just as quickly.

“Sorry about that. Now rumors will be flying everywhere.” Lauren said.

“It’s alright. No one knows who I am anyway, you’ll be fine.” I said, picking up my backpack. I checked the time, and it was six o’clock; time for dinner. “Hey, I’m gonna go down to dinner.”

“Okay you do that,” Lauren said. “I’ll stay up here for a while and scope out the really tiny fiction section.” She looked at me with a smile and I waved good-bye.

I headed down to the Great Hall, backpack still in tow. I said I would meet Jack for dinner. I don’t break my word.

* * *

 

** Jack’s P.O.V **

People were whispering in the halls while I walked to dinner. I couldn’t make sense of it all.

“ _Hiccup and Lauren are a thing_ …”

“ _They were making out in the library. I saw them, I swear_!”

“ _Poor Lauren. What does she see in that talking fishbone_?”

I tried to ignore it all. Hiccup was my friend. Did I want him to be just my friend? No, but I respect his boundaries. If he wanted to go out with Lauren, than good for him.

Bad for Lauren. I told her my deepest secret, well, more like she wedeled it out of me, and she goes and hooks up with him. She will pay… if the rumors are true.

“Jack!” A voice called out to me. I whipped around and saw Hiccup racing toward me, his backpack still slung on his shoulder.

“Hiccup. Hey what’s up?” I said, trying to make my voice a little cheery. The rumors were circulating in my head, which made it virtually impossible, but I think I did a pretty good job of it.

“Nothing. We said we would go to dinner, remember?” Hiccup said, a smile gracing those lips of his.

“Oh, yeah. Right. Weird, for some reason I thought you would be… busy.” I said. I couldn’t look at him anymore; the thought of him and Lauren together made me sick. I stared at the marble floor instead.

“Busy? Why would I be busy?” Hiccup said, totally oblivious to my change of mood. Or so I thought. “Hey, you alright? We don’t have to go to dinner if you don’t want to.” There was something in his voice that basically said, “ _Let’s get out of here_ ,” but that might have been my imagination.

“Um… I’m not feeling so good. I should probably go and lie down.” I said, holding my stomach for emphasis.

“Oh. Okay. I’ll walk to your common room then,” Hiccup said. Was it his innocence or his ignorance that made me want answers? He had no way of knowing that I was so close to jumping and kissing him twenty-four/seven. He had no idea what those rumors did to my head. But suddenly, just being friends wasn’t enough. Rumors wasn’t enough anymore.

I. Needed. Answers.

“Okay then.” I said, turning around and heading for Gryffindor Tower. Hiccup followed faithfully beside me.

We were silent, but it wasn’t awkward; it was comfortable. I felt like in the midst of all this chaos, I could finally breathe. No one was around, so I grabbed Hiccup’s hand and held on. Surprisingly, he didn’t object; Hiccup just kept walking contently as if nothing was happening.

Soon, too soon for that matter, we were on the seventh floor.

“Well, this is where I leave, I guess.” Hiccup said, but he made no attempt to let go of my hand. I looked at him, eyebrows raised. I needed answers. He wasn’t going to get off so easily. I started pulling him off down the corridor, where five years of wandering these halls taught me that no one ever bothered that area. “Hey, wait. What are you-?” Hiccup said, a little shocked.

I rounded the corner and pressed Hiccup against the wall, his back resting against the cool marble. I let go of his hand and put my right hand on the marble wall next to his face.

“Jack, what are you doing?” Hiccup whispered. His eyes were wide, as if he was scared… of something.

“I need answers. You heard the rumors, right?” I said, just now realizing how close our faces were. He shook his head uncertainly. “About you and Lauren.”

“Oh. _That_. Jack, I can explain…” Hiccup said, biting his bottom lip nervously.

“Is it true or not?” I spat, venom in my voice that I didn’t permit. Hiccup didn’t seem fazed by it.

“I don’t know why this is so important to you,” Hiccup said with just as much venom.

“Just tell me.” I growled through gritted teeth. Why did this bother me so much? He is my friend, my only true friend. And I’m treating him like shit.

“We’re friends, Jack.” Hiccup said, repeating what I just thought. “Lauren and I are just friends. I-…” Hiccup hesitated. “I like someone else.” He finished quietly. He looked at the floor.

Our noses were touching, we were that close. I could do it; I could plant one on him and run for the hills right now. I wanted to, but I didn’t. Instead I moved away as fast as I could. I found myself standing next to him, my back hitting the cool marble harshly. I felt myself slide down, my butt finally hitting the floor. My hands went up to my hair and tugged. I gritted my teeth.

“God, I’m such a fuckin’ idiot!” I heard myself saying under my breath. “I’m so dumb and I should have freaking left things alone! I’m such an idiot…”

I didn’t notice that the warmth I felt on my right side was Hiccup sitting next to me. I thought he would run away. He was sitting next to me, ours sides pressed together comfortably. A hand removed my tugging fingers from my hair.

“You’re right, you are a fuckin’ idiot.” Hiccup said, almost laughing at me. “But you’re my idiot.” His voice was barely louder than a whisper.

In a second, he was standing in front of me. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. Hiccup dragged me to my common room entrance.

“You said you didn’t feel good.” Hiccup said, explaining his actions. “Get some rest and I’ll see you in the morning. Okay?” He asked, letting go of my hand. I couldn’t take his cuteness any longer. Playing the part of my freaking mom was the last straw on my “no touch” policy. I pulled Hiccup into a hug, my arms circling around his shoulders with ease.

“Okay,” I breathed into his ear. I felt his arms wrap around my torso, and I smiled into that auburn hair. My hormones got the best of me and I had to let go of Freckles, before I started running my hands through his hair and kissing his neck.

“Bye,” He said breathlessly as he made to go, his eyes never leaving mine.

“Bye, Freckles.” I said with a smile. Before I could jump him, I flung myself inside the common room entrance.   

* * *

 

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

I don’t know what the hell just happened. Everything was so unexpected, and oh my gosh. What just happened?

I was freaking out. I needed to get out of here. I needed to be flying on Toothless. Everything was suddenly too much. I told Jack that he was my idiot. I was so dumb. Why was I so impulsive?

I was running now, and I threw myself into the common room. I flew up the stairs to my room. Toothless was there, looking at me with wide eyes. My robes where suddenly too stuffy for me. I ripped them off, and replaced them with my own outfit; green long sleeve t-shirt, slate grey pants, my fuzzy fur vest, and comfortable fur boots.

I sort of relaxed, my breathing was a little better than before. Toothless looked at me curiously, and I rubbed his ears.

“I’m an idiot, bud. A real idiot.” I said. Toothless just stared into my eyes; he knew something was wrong. “I’m okay, honestly. We’ll go flying when everyone falls asleep.”

Toothless purred his agreement. I waited around most of the time, with nothing to do. I had already finished my homework, and there was nothing to do. I tried sketching a little, but everything turned out to be Jack. I scribbled out every one; he was exactly the thing I was trying to get away from.

That hug was intoxicating. I never felt like this before, not even with Lauren. But that’s hardly a comparison, seeing that I’ve liked Jack for five years now and that I barely met Lauren.

Finally people started to file into the common room. Good thing most Ravenclaws were sensible; they were all asleep by eleven o’clock. I looked at Toothless, and he looked ready to go.

I threw the window open and did a spell. I climbed on Toothless, who was now a dragon, and we took off again.

This was the best escape I could hope for.

I became even more reckless than the night before and Toothless had no objection. We soared through the night, falling in mid-air and performing stunts that should have killed me.

* * *

 

** Jack’s P.O.V **

I was such an idiot. I should have _known_ he wasn’t going out with Lauren. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t do anything but sit at the windowsill; Hiccup called me an idiot. _His_ idiot.

Something flashed across the moon again, just like last night. My window was open again, and I was standing outside. It was the dragon again, and it’s rider. I was envious instantaneously.

“Okay, okay, we can do this, Toothless,” The rider yelled, again using the bizarre name for the dragon. The voice was so familiar, something told me that I should know the voice.

I didn’t have time to wonder who the dragon rider was, because in a matter of moments, he (or she) was off the dragon and both of them were plummeting to the unforgiving earth below. My jaw dropped as I let out a yell. The dragon then maneuvered itself below the rider and they were gliding up toward the moon in an instant.

I looked at them in wonder. That was the most insane thing I have ever seen in my life. I was still obviously envious, but now I wondered what it was like to really fly. Not on a broom, on a living thing that had a heartbeat and a mind of its own… I gave the dragon rider props, it must not be easy.

“Yeah! Aw, that was awesome!” The dragon rider yelled. I smiled.

“ _I’m sure it was, Mr. Mysterious-Dragon-Rider_.” I thought as I climbed back into my room and fell asleep.


	6. Saturday

Chapter Six: Saturday

_**A couple weeks later…**_

Finally, the weekend! Hiccup woke up with a smile plastered on his face, ready to take on the day. His homework was done, no classes today, and all of that meant that he could spend the day with his friends: Lauren and Jack.

Hiccup jumped out of bed and got dressed in his usual attire; dark green tee, black, comfortable skinny jeans, fur boots, and his favorite fur-lined vest. He practically ran out of his common room, not wanting to wait a minute longer. His (seemingly) pet cat, Toothless, was right on his heels.

Jack sighed as the morning light hit his face. Deep in his mind, he knew it was Saturday and that he had plans with Hiccup, but he just really wanted to sleep. Unwillingly, Jack got up and pulled on his comfortable clothes; white tee, blue hoodie, and tan skinny jeans. Without any shoes, Jack checked himself in the mirror. His white hair was messed up and his blue eyes were wide awake and out of sync with the rest of his body.

He walked out of his common room and headed toward the Great Hall, where he and Hiccup said they would meet.

They met up in the halls, coincidentally. The walked to go get some breakfast, more for Hiccup’s cat than for themselves. Laying a plate of smoke fish on the floor for Toothless, Hiccup and Jack took a seat.

“Dang, Toothless. You act like I never feed you.” Hiccup said, shaking his head at the cat. Jack sat up a little straighter, a curious but confused glint was in his eye.

“Toothless?” Jack said. He knew that name from somewhere… why was that name so familiar?

“Yeah, when I found him I thought he didn’t have any teeth…” Hiccup said trailing off.

“So naturally, you just called him that?” Jack said, a smile curling his lips. “Not a very common name, is it?” He inquired.

“I guess not. Why?” Hiccup said.

“No reason, it just sounds a little familiar to me, that’s all.” Jack said innocently while he shrugged.

Toothless was finished scarfing down the fish, and Jack bent down to rub him behind the ears. Toothless let out a menacing growl that was disproportionate to his size. Jack jumped back, holding his hand close to his body.

“Sorry. He doesn’t like a lot of people,” Hiccup said, eyeing the cat with reproachful eyes. Jack was staring at the two blankly.

“He must be one socially impaired cat.” Jack said.

 “Yeah, he’s just weird like that.” Hiccup said, scratching Toothless one more time. “Ready to go?”

“Sure am.” Jack said standing up. They left the Great Hall just when people started to flood in, Toothless following them. They made their way to the Quidditch pitch; they planned to goof around on brooms today.

They reached the Quidditch pitch faster than either had anticipated. They chose their brooms, Cleensweep Sevens, and walked out to the pitch.

“So, first time on a broom, right?” Jack said, an eyebrow rising. Hiccup nodded.

“Sorta.” He shrugged, not making himself entirely clear.

They went through the basics (that was pretty boring, but Hiccup stayed with the program). Finally, Jack let Hiccup climb onto his broom and take off. Jack was right next to him during the whole time.

Hiccup couldn’t help himself from laughing from the simplicity of this; it was exactly like riding Toothless. Only that he had all the control, and that he didn’t control the flight with a flick of his ankle, and oh yeah, he wasn’t sitting on a gigantic dragon.

Hiccup quickly got bored and started doing little flips on his broom. Jack shouted in surprise.

“What? You don’t know a simple flip like that?” Hiccup said, laughing.

“You don’t _need_ to flip!” Jack argued. Hiccup just laughed, flying upside-down and getting close to the other boy’s face.

“You’re just jealous.” Hiccup said, with a smug smile on his face.

“Not everyone is a show-off like you,” Jack quipped back.

“Whatever you say Frosty.” Hiccup said, laughing again. Hiccup flipped again.

“I’ve had enough of you and your cockiness. I challenge you to a race!” Jack said haughtily.

“You are _so_ on.” Hiccup said.

Needless to say, Hiccup won every race, flying circles around Jack.

“Had enough of staring at my ass, Frosty?” Hiccup called to Jack, who reddened, but just slightly.

“As if, Freckles.” Jack said, not realizing how dirty that sounded. Hiccup had to laugh.

“Wanna go grab some lunch, sore-loser? It’s nearly one o’clock.” Hiccup said, flying in front of Jack.

“I’ll have you know that I, Jack ‘Fun’ Frost, am not a sore loser.” Jack said pompously, puffing out his chest and putting on a clearly fake accent.

“You would have your middle name be ‘Fun’.” Hiccup deadpanned.

“Shut up, Freckles.” Jack said, narrowing his eyes at his crush good-naturedly. “And, sure. Food sounds nice right about now.” He only said that because his stomach was growling as it tried to eat his spleen.

They landed on the pitch, Toothless instantly running to them, well, to Hiccup. They put away their brooms and walked over to the Great Hall again, this time both boys were set on eating their fill.

The two boys, and the rambunctious cat, ate lunch with gusto. They had no room for table manners as they talked with their mouths full, propped themselves up with their elbows, and had a burping contest. Jack won the contest, though Hiccup voted against it, when a familiar voice laughed at them.

“You guys are total goofballs.” Lauren said, walking up to them with a sweet smile on her face.

“Hey Lauren!” Both boys chorused. Even Toothless walked up and meowed innocently at her. She scratched him under his chin once, making the cat’s eyes flutter shut and purr in satisfaction.

“Doesn’t like a lot of people, huh?” Jack mumbled, upset that a cat didn’t like him. Hiccup shot him a look that said, “ _Really_?”

“Hi guys.” Lauren said sitting down next to Jack, who was opposite Hiccup. “And how are you on this fine Saturday evening?”

“Just swell!” Hiccup said, a lopsided smile on his face.

“We had a little flying competition at the Quidditch pitch this morning.” Jack said, smiling. “I won.” He lied through his teeth easily.

“Whatever, Jack!” Hiccup said, standing up suddenly. “We both know I beat you, fair and square!” Jack stood up too, rising to the challenge.

“Fair my _ass_!” He shouted. “You probably ride things for a living!” Hiccup then settled down in his seat again, looking up at Jack with a grin on his face.

“You do not know how dirty that sounded, Frosty.” Hiccup said, smiling and laughing evilly. Jack’s cheeks instantly colored as he plopped down into his seat.

“You two, once again, are goofballs.” Lauren said, laughing into her glass of lemonade she was trying to drink. The two boys were giving each other wry smiles.

“Well, I’m going to head up to my common room. I need to check on something.” Hiccup said, standing up quickly. “See you guys in a bit?” He asked.

“Yeah, totally.” Jack said, a small smile forming on his pale face.

“See you later, Hiccup!” Lauren said cheerfully. Hiccup nodded his head to Toothless, who followed him out the Great Hall obediently.

“So, honest answer now. How has this Saturday been treating you?” Lauren said, leaning toward Jack and batting her eyelashes innocently. Jack groaned and collapsed onto the table, his head buried into his arms.

“Amazing!” Jack said. He raised his head, the widest and most love-stricken smile cracking his face in half. “I thought he would be really bad at flying, but he was actually _really good_. And he’s a total show-off, and I swear, he’s messing with my mind!” Jack was talking so fast, it was a miracle Lauren caught it all. He was running his hands through his hair and Lauren was laughing at him slightly.

“How so, Jack?” She asked. Lauren absolutely loved Jack and Hiccup to death. They were both so oblivious regarding one another. Lauren was the only soul that knew that they liked each other, and she was sworn to secrecy by both of them. It was completely maddening; just like when her sister tells her not to tell her brother something… it always comes out in the end. But Lauren was determined to keep her promise.

“He’s been making dirty jokes all day. You saw him at it right now; he’s ruthless!” Jack said, becoming more and more animate by the second. “And, when he was beating me in a race, he was all like, ‘Had enough of staring at my ass?’ and… and… oh my god. I cannot believe I said that!” Jack said, laughing.

“Am I missing something?” Lauren said. Jack was adorable when he got like this. It was too bad Hiccup never saw him like this.

“No, no. It was just that…” Jack said, wiping a nonexistent tear out of his eye before he stared off into space, his jaw dropping. “We were flirting.” He said, finally realizing it.

“And you just now realize that, Jack?” Lauren asked, shocking him out of his revelation. She touched his hand, just the softest touch and he let out a breath.

“We were… no. No, we weren’t. Lauren, don’t work me up like that. That’s… that’s not possible. Hiccup has a thing for someone else.” Jack said, shaking his head in disbelief.

“And when did he say this?” Lauren said, raising her eyebrows at her friend.

“Weeks ago, when I asked him if you two were going out.” Jack said.

“When all the rumors were flying around us?” Lauren asked.

“Yeah,” Jack breathed. “I-I asked him if you two were going out and he… I swear his exact words were ‘I like someone else’.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Lauren mumbled, quiet enough for him not to hear.

“I’m making all this up.” Jack said again. “We were just joking, this whole time. Just being friends, that’s all.”

Lauren sighed. He was so close to scraping the truth, it was times like these that she wanted to scream at both of them. But she didn’t; she promised. 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Hiccup flew into his common room and up the stairs to his room. His breathing was labored, but it wasn’t because of all the running he just did. Toothless was right behind him. Thank the gods all his roommates were in the library or something.

“Oh my gosh.” Hiccup breathed, throwing himself on his bed. “That all did not just happen.”

Toothless just looked at him, as if to say, “ _Yes, all that did just happen. I witnessed the whole thing_.”

“We weren’t… oh my gods, I wasn’t flirting with him, was I, Toothless?” Hiccup inquired of the dragon-cat, as if he expected an actual answer.

Toothless just looked at him. Hiccup was smart in many aspects, but he was definitely _not_ people smart. Toothless could see that something was going on with this Jack person, and he didn’t know what. But something was up.

“No, no I wasn’t.” Hiccup said, trying to convince himself of this. He grabbed his pillow, sat Indian-style on his bed, and rocked himself slightly. “We were just joking around, that’s all. We’re just friends… just friends. God, Toothless! I am such an idiot!” Hiccup then buried his face in the pillow that he was clutching.

Toothless wanted the ability of speech so bad at the particular moment. He wanted to tell him that the flirting wasn’t all one-sided. He wanted to describe to Hiccup the way Jack looked at him when he wasn’t paying attention. He wanted to convince Hiccup that Jack really was a good guy and that he wouldn’t lead him on so cruelly…

But Toothless, sadly, could never talk. So it was all he could do when he walked over to the freaking-out teenager and placed his paws on Hiccup’s arm. Hiccup looked up at his dragon trapped inside that body of a cat and smiled. Toothless let out a small ‘mew’ that said it all.

“Thanks, bud.” Hiccup said, petting the cat as lovingly as he could. Hiccup then got up and looked in the mirror, checking if his eyes were red. When they weren’t, Hiccup let out a sigh and looked at Toothless.

“Do you wanna go out again, or do you want to sleep?” Hiccup asked. Toothless yawned and settled himself on Hiccup’s pillow. “Lazy…” Hiccup muttered and walked out the door.

He was walking down the halls when he heard Lauren and Jack chattering. Hiccup unintentionally gasped, but then he remembered that he had nothing to fear. He rounded the corner and saw that the two were right there.

“Boo!” He said, sarcastically and laughed.

“Hiccup!” Lauren whined, clutching her chest. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”

“Nice one, Freckles!” Jack said, smiling at him. “You got me… a little.”

“Yeah, uh-huh. Okay, ‘a little’. I saw you jump.” Hiccup said, falling in step with them, Jack being on his right side.

The three just walked the grounds a little while, talking and laughing like they’ve known each other since birth. Every once in a while, Hiccup and Jack’s hands would brush up against each other. They would each flinch and color a little, but not move away. The air around the three was always easy-going.

It was getting late, and Lauren yawned.

“I’m going to get going, guys. I got tons of homework to do.” She said, smiling.

“Aw, really?” Jack whined and Hiccup smiled.

“Not going to dinner?” Hiccup said.

“Nope.” Lauren said, popping the ‘p’ sound more than necessary. “I’ll see you two in the morning, okay?” She said, hugging Jack, then Hiccup.

“Night, Lauren!” Jack called as she jogged off into the castle. She turned around and waved a little, then she slipped into the building.

“So… today was fun.” Hiccup sighed, looking up at the darkening sky.

“Yeah, it was.” Jack said. They were pretty close together, their shoulders touching and their hands still brushing together every once in a while. “Want to grab some dinner?” Jack asked, purely out of curiosity.

“Um… not really.” Hiccup said, his eyes glued to the sky. Stars were starting to peek out, twinkling brightly against the night sky.

“Okay, then. I’m not hungry either.” Jack said, sighing. He really didn’t want to have this moment end.

They wandered around again, for a long time, really. It was pitch black outside, and both boys pulled out their wands muttering “ _Lumos_.” Without saying anything, they made their way back to the castle.

“I guess I’ll see you in the morning?” Jack said, sighing.

“I wish we could just stay up all night.” Hiccup said, the same deflated, defeated tone of voice that Jack had. But, with this statement, Jack perked up.

“Then why don’t we?” He said, a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

“We have a curfew, Jack. Remember?” Hiccup said. Jack laughed.

“I’ve never listened to the rules _before_.” Jack said. Hiccup sighed and started walking. “C’mon, do something rebellious for once!”

“Not everyone is as daring as Jack ‘Fun’ Frost, you know.” Hiccup said.

“C’mon Freckles…” Jack whined, poking Hiccup incessantly. Hiccup squirmed and laughed.

“Quit it!” He said swatting Jack’s poking fingers away.

“Well, stay up with me!” Jack said, a little too loudly. Hiccup shushed him. They continued walking down the empty corridor.

“We live on different sides of the castle, there’s a curfew, and this is never going to work.” Hiccup sighed, pointing out the flaws to this plan. Jack groaned.

“I forgot all about that,” He said, downtrodden.

“But…” Hiccup said, holding up a finger. “I know somewhere that this all-nighter could take place.”

“What are we waiting for?” Jack said excitedly. “Lead the way!”

Hiccup took Jack up the flights of moving stairs, ending on the seventh floor.

“Um… would you mind telling me where we are going?” Jack said, a little confused. The Gryffindor common room was on the seventh floor. What was all this about?

“You don’t read, do you?” Hiccup said. “I read about this place in _Hogwarts: A History_. It’s totally cool.” He stopped along a blank wall and looked at it expectantly.

“Hiccup?” Jack said, tugging at his sleeve. “I think you finally lost it.” He whispered. Hiccup closed his eyes tightly. Right before their eyes bloomed a door, and Hiccup opened his eyes and smiled at Jack’s bewildered face.

“Welcome, Jack.” Hiccup said, grabbing Jack’s hand and opening the door with the other. “To the Room of Requirement.”


	7. All-Nighter

Chapter Seven: All-Nighter 

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

His face was priceless. I almost died laughing. I pulled him inside the Room of Requirement. I wanted it to be awesome, and it was. There was a table stacked to the high heavens with soda, sweets, and pizza. There was a huge television and tons of video games to play and movies to watch, and a huge couch in front of it. There was an adjoining bathroom and a two beds.

“Like it?” I asked, laughing. Jack flew into action, running around the room.

“What is all this stuff?” He asked excited. “I’ve never seen any of this!” I had to laugh at him and I plucked a cookie off the table and took a bite out of it.

“It’s everything I thought we needed for an all-nighter.” I said through the cookie, shrugging.

“No but-!” Jack said, picking up a cookie. “How did all of this stuff get here? Is this, like, a Hogwarts party room or something?” I had to laugh again.

“No,” I said, pushing him slightly and he laughed too. He sunk his teeth into the cookie and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

“Oh my god!” He said. “Who made these?” He put a hand over his mouth and chewed enthusiastically.

“It’s my mom’s recipe. She used to make them all the time.” I said, taking another bite. “They’re sort of like eating my childhood.”

“Well, your childhood is delicious.” Jack said, taking another cookie.

“I’m glad you think so.” Hiccup said, taking another cookie too.

We were playing some video games for a little while. I was totally kicking his ass, until he got the hang of the game. He crushed me. I was taking it good naturedly, and we were laughing like crazy.

“Hey, want to watch a movie?” Jack asked, throwing his controller down. I threw mine next to his and crawled over to the pile of DVDs we could watch. We picked a random movie and I popped it into the DVD player. We didn’t sit on the couch; we sat down with our backs resting against it. I settled down next to Jack as the movie started.

It was half-way through the move when I noticed the pressure around my shoulders. I froze as I tore my eyes from the screen and looked at my shoulder. Jack’s arm was slung across my shoulders, and he probably didn’t even know. I didn’t say anything, most because his touch sent a horde of butterflies tumbling into my stomach. I relaxed some and continued to watch the movie without complaint.

The movie was over, and I regretted it immensely. He took his arm from around me and stretched.

“That was funny.” Jack said. I scrambled up and went to the table loaded with food. I poured myself a cup of fizzy orange soda.

“Yeah, it was awesome.” I said, enthusiastically. I made the mistake of breathing right before I took a sip, and the carbonation of the soda made me choke.

“Hiccup!” Jack said, panic in his voice as he ran over to me, hopping over the couch in one swift movement. I was recovering by the time he got to me, but his panic was extremely funny.

“I’m fine, I only choked.” I said, laughing so hard that I had to set down my soda to keep from spilling. “Why did you freak out? I’m not going to die or anything!” I said, almost falling to the floor.

“Shut up, Hiccup.” Jack said, chuckling. “That’s the last time I try to look out for you.” He said.

“Oh, come on. You know you can’t leave clumsy little me out there to fend for myself.” I joked, making a puppy dog face at him.

“I’ll make you eat those words, Freckles,” Jack said.

“Whatever, Frosty. You know it’s true.” I said. Then, Jack pounced at me, knocking me to the floor. I was lucky I didn’t hit my head. Jack pinned my shoulders to the floor and looked down at me.

“Take it back.” He said with a smile. In a moment of pure mischief, I came up with a plan.

“I take it back! I take it back!” I said. He let go of me and stood up and walked away.

“Good. Because I could leave you out there all alone, but I choose not to.” He was saying.

I got up quickly and tackled him, not unlike the way he tackled me. We wrestled a bit, laughing, and I ended up pinning him this time, straddling his hips to make sure he didn’t get up. Jack was an interesting shade of red at that point, and I’m pretty sure it had everything to do with the struggle he was putting up.

“And why not, Frosty?” I said, noticing how close my face was to his. “Why won’t you leave me out there alone?”

“I-I… um… well, you see… um…” Jack was saying. Even when he was stuttering he sounded smooth, like he planned it all.

“Stuttering isn’t very helpful, Jack.” I said, keeping the laughter out of my voice as much as I could.

“Do you really have to criticize probably the only person in the world who cares about you?” Jack said, finally spitting out a whole sentence. But it was the content of his words that made me froze.

I slipped off Jack and sat down on the floor next to him, my legs outstretched in front of me. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked at me uncertainly.

“You care about me?” I deadpanned, trying to hide the apparent shock in my voice by narrowing my eyes and sounding as sarcastic as possible.

“Well, duh.” Jack said, a small smile stretching across his face. “Maybe I am a bit worried for you. You’re just so small…” Jack said, sticking his finger under my ribcage. I uttered a surprised “Hey!” and then started laughing.

I was masking the hurt in my eyes. I really thought that he liked me back, but obviously I was wrong. I should have known it wasn’t like that. Life sucked, and it hated me. I mentally took a deep breath and continued the little conversation before it becomes obvious that I was hurting.

“For your information, I am not small!” I said indignantly, swatting Jack’s poking fingers away once more. It was Jack’s turn to laugh. He sat up and sat Indian style next to me.

“Oh, of course not, Frecks. You’re just not huge.” Jack said, sarcasm dripping off his words. I rolled my eyes.

“Oh yeah, you aren’t the biggest guy in the world either.” I said, getting all in his face about it. Literally, our faces were inches apart. I felt his breathing hitch, and I could practically hear his heartbeat quicken. Why was he acting like this? Jack quickly pulled his façade back on and smiled at me.

“Who said I wanted to be?” Jack said, and there was something behind that voice of his, I couldn’t put my finger on it. Jack actually moved closer, and our noses were touching.

“No one,” I replied coolly, like I wasn’t excited about the physical closeness of him _at all_. “Just, you know, pointing out the obvious.” Man, I wanted to kiss him. But that would ruin everything and make this whole thing really awkward.

“Well, you _obviously_ aren’t any good at pointing out the obvious.” Jack said. I moved away from Jack and looked at him in confusion.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I said.

“Nothing,” He sort of sang, poking my cheek, ruffling my hair, and getting up. I frowned unhappily, and fixed my hair. I got up and scrambled after him. He was at the food table. I picked up another cookie; they were so damn _delicious_.

“So… what do you want to do now?” Jack said, munching through a bag of chips. I looked at the time on the T.V. “ _2:07_ ” it read. I shrugged.

“We got plenty of time left. Are you tired yet?” I asked. Jack smiled and swallowed a mouthful of chips.

“Not in the slightest. You?” He said.

“Nope,” I said, popping the ‘p’ sound like Lauren did. I walked over to the back of the couch and hopped on the part where you rest your back. Then I slowly let myself fall, and my back hit the part you actually sit on. I was still munching on my cookie.

It wasn’t long until Jack did the exact same thing, plopping onto the couch in the same position I was in. We were close together again, but I guess we both didn’t care. I just looked at him for a moment, and he looked at me. Then he opened his mouth to say something.

* * *

 

** Jack’s P.O.V   **

“Hiccup, do you like me?” I asked, looking into his bright green eyes. I shoved down the vomit that was crawling up my throat at suppressed the shakes that racked my body. I had to know the answer. Hiccup froze, and then smiled.

“Well, yeah.” Hiccup said, looking at me innocently. I almost yelled for joy, but then he opened his mouth to continue. “You are, like, my best friend. How could I not like you?” He laughed.

My spirits fell, and I found my heart somewhere near my toes. I was _so sure_ that he was flirting with me, that he felt the same way, but I was so totally wrong. I felt my emotions flicker across my face and I quickly flashed a smile. _Pull it together, Frost, he’s still your friend._

“Ah, well, you know, there are some back-stabbing jerks out there that just pretend to be your friend to get what you have.” I said, covering up all of my uncertainty with a laugh. Hiccup chuckled too. Why was he so freaking adorable?

“That’s true. But… do you really think I would be one of those people?” Hiccup said worriedly. I looked at him, and his eyes were begging for an answer. An honest one, too.

“Of course not!” I said. “I just… wanted to know, that’s all.” The good thing about Hiccup was that he was so gullible, or at least acted like it, so I got off the hook on this one.

“Alright. So want do you want to do?” Hiccup asked innocently, folding his hands over his stomach. I groaned, feigning boredom. I couldn’t tell him that I wanted to kiss the living daylights out of him.

“I have no idea!” I said, “Wanna throw in another movie?” I suggested. Hiccup shrugged, and his lips curled up in a little smile (not that I was looking at his lips or anything… _shut up_ , don’t judge).

“Sure,” He said rolling off to the side and getting up neatly, like he’s done it plenty of times before. I simply turned myself around and got up like a normal person… then dropped to my knees and crawled to the movie stack. We sorted through the stack, and put the possible ones to watch in a separate stack.

We eventually chose one and sat down like we did before. Only I kept my hands to myself this time. It was nice to have him in my arms when he watched the last movie, but he didn’t like me. We were just friends.

The movie was started, so I jolted out of my little reverie and paid attention. It was actually pretty interesting; it was about this fish who lost his wife and all his kids except one and then the last kid got lost and the dad had to look for him all over the ocean…

I was so absorbed in the movie, that I didn’t notice Hiccup scooting closer and closer to me. Soon, our hips, shoulders, and legs were pressed up against each other. I tried to breath like a normal person but I was afraid I would hyperventilate. I looked down at Hiccup who wasn’t looking at the movie at all; he was staring up at me. I saw him visibly color in the light of the T.V.

“Some movie, huh?” I asked, smiling. Hiccup smiled back.

“Yeah,” He said, tearing his eyes away from me to watch the movie. I sighed to myself. Why does he have to be so adorable and innocent and little? Somehow, my arm got around his shoulders again, and he didn’t freeze like last time. He…

_Wait, what_? He moved closer to me… and… and snuggled up against me. This wasn’t happening, nope not at all. We were just friends, we each told each other that (but I was lying). I’m pretty sure friends don’t act like this when they watch a movie! I wasn’t complaining, of course, but… I wish it didn’t get me as happy as it did. There was no chance between us; Hiccup said it himself. We were best friends.

He rested his head on my shoulder and I almost moaned. He was so damn adorable it hurt. My arm hugged him closer, and he sighed.

Movie ended. The daddy fish finds his son with the help of this crazy blue fish girl and they live happily ever after telling jokes and the little kid fish gets to go to school.

“Wow that was a cool movie. Huh, Hiccup?” I said looking down at the boy in my arms. His eyes were drooping, like he stayed awake solely to watch the end of movie.

“Yeah, it was funny.” He said, moving out of my arms and standing up. “I’m tired, Jack.” He said pathetically, rubbing his eyes.

“It’s okay.” I said, getting up too. I yawned. “So am I.” Without saying a word, we walked over to the two beds that were side by side. I pushed one bed so that I was next to the other one, making one gigantic bed. I threw the blankets on it, making it as comfortable as possible.

Hiccup climbed in, and collapsed onto the fluffy pillows, his back to the wall. I crawled in after him, facing him. His green eyes were barely open, but he was smiling like a fool.

“Night, Jack…” He mumbled, then he closed his eyes. I brushed some hair out of his face, my fingertips ghosting his skin. My hand then returned to my side.

“Good night, Hiccup.” I whispered. I then closed my eyes and fell asleep.


	8. Forbidden Forest Is Forbidden For a Reason

Chapter Eight: Forbidden Forest is Forbidden for a Reason

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

I didn’t want to wake up, but I did. I hated it. I was having such a good dream too; I tackled Jack and I was sitting on top of him, and our faces were so close and I was about to kiss him… I moved, reluctantly, but I didn’t open my eyes. Not yet.

Something was snaked around my waist, and I was pressed against something. This was all too weird. I kind of liked it though.

My eyes opened, and I wished they didn’t. I wished I could fall back asleep and forget this ever happened. But it was right in front of me, and I couldn’t deny anything.

Jack’s face was inches in front of mine. I instantly knew that it was his arm that was around my waist, and it was his chest that I was pressed against. I wanted to fall back asleep, and act like I never woke up, but it wasn’t possible.

Because I saw that Jack was smiling in his sleep.

I knew my dream was real. It did happen. Only I didn’t kiss him, I opened my mouth and I said something. It was so irrelevant now, but it was the fact that I did it… and he didn’t move away.

This wasn’t happening. That’s it. Yep, I was still sleeping. It was all a dream. Just a dream Hiccup, just a really weird dream… but not a bad dream…

I knew, somewhere deep down, that this wasn’t a dream at all, but I decided to test my luck anyway. I scooted closer to Jack, and his arm tightened around my waist, almost automatically. I buried my head into the crook of his neck and just breathed in his scent. I knew this was wrong, but it was great. A weird thought crossed my mind, “ _We fit together perfectly_ …”

Jack moaned, and buried his head into my hair. “ _Hiccup_ …” He sighed dreamily, and that was the only way I knew his was still asleep. His arm tightened even more, making our hips collide and our chests pressed together.

“Jack!” I whispered, panicked. I tried to get out of his grip, but it was too strong. “Jack, let go of me!” I brought my hands up and pushed on his chest. “Jack wake up!”

“Just a few more…” Jack mumbled. “Just a few more hours, Hiccup…”

Well, at least I knew he didn’t think I was his mom.

“Jack, wake up!” I said. His eyes flashed open, blinking furiously.

“Ack!” He said, letting go of me quickly. He rolled away and stood up, worried hands fingering his white hair. “Hiccup! I am so sorry!”

“It’s… it’s okay.” I said shakily, letting out a breath. I regretted waking him up. I sat up quickly and disentangled myself from the blankets.

“No, no it’s not.” Jack said. “I’m so sorry…” Was there tears welling up in his eyes?

“Don’t be…” I said, crawling on the bed over to him and sitting on the edge. I put on a smile and looked him in the eye. “You probably just thought I was a teddy bear or something. I thought you were Toothless!” I said, lying easily.

“Toothless?” Jack said, smiling through the unshed tears.

“Yeah, when he’s a dragon. I was dreaming that we were stuck in the woods and it was cold and I was huddling up to him for warmth…” I said, deliberately trailing off. That fake dream was going nowhere fast. Jack just chuckled.

“You,” he said, shaking his head at me, “have very weird dreams.” I just laughed.

“Yeah, tell me about it.” I muttered. What I really wanted to say was: “ _Look who’s talking! What were you doing moaning my name while your asleep_?” I didn’t say it though; I would get in trouble.

“What time is it?” Jack asked. I had to smile.

“Time for you to get a watch!” I yelled, trying to act like the gangsters you see on T.V. “In your _face_!” I exclaimed, shaking my hand across my face. Jack just laughed. He pushed me slightly, and I fell onto the bed.

“You are such a goofball.” He said, trying to hold in his laugh.

“You are starting to sound like Lauren.” I said, pointing a finger at him as I sat up again.

“Am I really that bad?” Jack said, putting a hand on a spot where his heart is. I just had to laugh. “Speaking about her, shouldn’t we try to find her?” Jack asked.

There it was. The idea of leaving. Going outside the little haven we created. Or at least I did. Leaving the Room of Requirement, where I didn’t have to worry about what other people thought, more or less what Jack thought too. I knew it had to be done, but I didn’t want that time to be so soon and so… _now_. I sighed.

“Yeah, we should. She would probably freak if we told her we had a slumber party without her.” I said, trying to make a joke out of this. I got up off the bed and walked over to the expanse of wall where the door was supposed to be. “You coming?” I called to Jack.

“Hiccup, I…” Jack said, quickly slipping his hand into mine. “Thanks for all of… this.” He said, a smile gracing his face.

“No problem, Frosty.” I said, smiling back. A door appeared before me, signaling that there was no one in the hall. I reluctantly took my hand out from his and opened the door. We both stepped out into the seventh floor, the light from the windows telling me that it was almost noon.

“Hiccup?” A voice said. “Jack? Is that you?” We both turned around, to see Lauren rushing towards us. She was wearing some dark jean shorts that was mid-thigh in length, a black simple tee that hugged her frame, some knee-high Halloween-themed socks, and black Converse. On top of her head, you couldn’t miss it, was a beanie that looked like a raccoon.

“Lauren!” Jack said, running to meet her half-way. She launched herself at him, and they hugged. I walked over to them. As soon as she let go of him, she latched herself onto me. I held onto her and swung her around in a circle, lifting her off her feet.

“I have been looking absolutely everywhere for you!” She said, letting go of me. “Where have you two been?”

“We’ve just been walking around all morning.” Jack said, like it was the simple truth. “I can’t believe you didn’t see us.”

“Really? I asked around, and no one even saw you!” She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“It’s called super-stealth mode, Lauren.” I said, matching her pose and narrowing my eyes at her mockingly. “Or a really good invisibility spell, it depends.”

“Don’t be such a smart ass, Hiccup.” She said rolling her eyes. “It doesn’t look good on you.”

“Was that profanity that just came out of your mouth?” Jack said, shocked. “That’s a first. Not once have I ever heard a curse word come out of your mouth… until now. Thank you for soiling my virgin ears, Lauren.” His sarcasm was so strong, it was almost nonexistent. But Lauren and I knew better.

“Ha ha, you too, Frost.” She said shooting him a look. “Smart ass is _so_ not in fashion.”

“What’s your excuse?” I shot back without thinking. _Oops_ …  She rounded on me playfully.

“What did you say, _Haddock_?” She said. Her breath smelled like mint.

“You know you’re gonna get it when they pull out the last name, Hic.” Jack said, laughing at me.

“I totally forgot!” I exclaimed, genuinely remembering. “Toothless!”

“What does your cat have to do with anything?” Lauren said, but I was already down the hall, scrambling to my common room. I’m pretty sure they were trying to follow me, but my shock and adrenaline kept me running non-stop. I burst through the common room and up the stairs to my room. There Toothless sat on my bed, waiting patiently.

“Toothless!” I yelled. His head snapped in my direction, and his eyes burned holes through my body, he was _that pissed_. I ran to him, pulling him into my arms and holding on tightly. “Oh gods Toothless! I am so sorry! I swear I’ll make it up to you, anything!”

Toothless broke free of my hold and landed on the window sill. He pawed at it, his nails scratching the glass. My shoulder sunk, and I realized there were tears on my face. I wiped them off hastily.

“It’s light outside, bud.” I said, wanting to fly with a passion. He shot me another look that clearly said everything.

“ _You forget I exist for a whole day, then you say you’ll do anything to make it up to me, and now you’re denying me what it want_?” I sighed.

“Toothless, I know, but you know I’ll get in trouble if anyone finds out…” I said, not believing that I was fighting with a seemingly harmless cat. And then he growled at me. “Fine,” I said, putting my hands in the air. “You win. I’ll work around all that.”

I changed my clothes and threw my flying gear on under my vest. I was now dressed in a plain white long sleeve shirt and dark brown jeans that were practically black, with my trusty vest and boots of course. I tucked my wand away safely down my left boot, since I was left-handed.

I started to walk out of the common room, Toothless at my heels. Outside the door was Lauren and Jack, huffing and puffing like they just ran three marathons. They saw me and Toothless and sprung up.

“How did you run that fast?” Lauren said, shocked. I just shrugged.

“I grew up running away from dragons that wanted to eat me. I guess that’s just how I roll.” I said, summing up my childhood in Berk with one sentence.

“You grew up _with dragons_?” Jack said, looking shocked.

“Yeah, it’s a really long story. But I don’t have time. I need to spend quality time with Toothless, apparently.” I said, gesturing to the small cat at my feet.

“Toothless!” Lauren said dropping to her knees and petting him. It was weird to see Toothless be putty in someone else’s hands, but it was adorable.

“Impressive.” I mumbled. Lauren got up and looked at me.

“So, see you later?” She asked. I nodded.

“Definitely.” I said.

“Good.” She replied as she hooked her arm around Jack’s. He was just looking at me in a way that screamed, “ _I don’t want to leave!_ ”

“See you later, Frecks.” Jack said, giving me one last look.

“Later, Jack.” I replied, and I watched Lauren drag him down the hallway, chattering away.

“Let’s go bud.” I said to Toothless. “I know the perfect place.”

* * *

** Jack’s P.O.V **

“So, tell me Jack, what’s going on?” Lauren said, her arm still hooked to mine. She was looking at me with eyes that said, “ _Don’t lie to me_ ”.

“How do you know when something’s up?” I mumbled.

Lauren just laughed. “I’m a girl, and you’re my friend. I _always_ know when something’s up.” She looked at me, and I just pursed my lips and looked in front of me. “Tell me, Jack.”

I sighed. “Hiccup only thinks of me as a friend.” Lauren gasped. “He told me this morning.” I wasn’t technically lying; he did tell me that and he did tell me in the morning.

“I’m sure you heard wrong…” Lauren said in a small voice.

“No, Lauren. I didn’t hear wrong. He straight out told me that I was his best friend. Everyone knows you can’t get out of the friend zone.” I said, a little heatedly. “God, Lauren!” I yelled suddenly. “Four goddamn years down the drain!”

“Jack!” Lauren said, unhooking our arms and grabbing my shoulders. “Snap out of it! Did you ask him if he liked you?” She sounded angry.

“No! Of course I didn’t! He told me I was his best friend, why would I ruin that?” I yelled at her. She opened her mouth, her eyes turning severe, when she stopped. She snapped her mouth shut and shook her head. She let go of my shoulders.

“Jack, I’m really sorry about all this, I am.” Lauren was saying. She gave me a swift hug and a peck on the cheek. Then she had my wrist, pulling me along as she stormed down the hallway.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m taking you to my common room. I need to grab something, and I don’t trust you to be on your own.” Lauren said lightly.

“And why is that?” I asked, brow raised.

I could only think about Hiccup. We were friends… and that was it. All this time, four damn years of liking him, and it was all ruined because he thought I was a friend. Why couldn’t he open his eyes and see that I liked him? And all of a sudden, I wasn’t pitying myself anymore. I was mad at Hiccup. Lauren’s light laughing broke me out of my thinking.

“You seem oddly depressed about this whole scenario. What would I do if I left you alone and you ended up killing yourself?” Lauren asked rhetorically.

“Well, first you would go tell Hiccup what an asshole he is.” I said darkly. The sad thing was that I meant it, too. Lauren clicked her tongue.

“C’mon Jack, he doesn’t know you like him.” Lauren said. We stopped and I found out that we were in the basement.

“You forgot the past-tense in that sentence.” I mumbled.

“Close your eyes.” Lauren commanded me. I slapped my hand over my eyes. “And what did you say? Past-tense? What’s that supposed to mean?” She said as a series of taps sounded in the background.

“Exactly that.” I said simply. “I’m dropping Hiccup.” Lauren looked at me as she took my hand off my eyes.

“You know you don’t mean that.” She said quietly. She was holding my hand.

“I do, Lauren. I’m sick of not knowing. And I’m tired of playing these games…” I said in defense. She snapped.

“If you’re so tired of playing games, then why don’t you fucking ask him?” She demanded, poking me in the chest. “If you really wanted a relationship with him, you would grow some balls and ask, Jack Frost!” She was red all over, hand her grip on my hand was restricting blood flow. “Now get inside before I rip you to shreds.” She said gesturing to the door I didn’t even notice.

I stumbled inside the door and looked around. Yellow and black decorations were everywhere. A couple sofas and puffy armchairs were near the highly-decorated fireplace. There was the two staircases of either side of the common room, leading to the dorms.

“Wow,” I said lightly. Lauren stalked over to the fireplace and plucked a rectangular mirror off. She then pressed it into my hands. “May I ask why you just gave me a mirror? I know I’m good-looking, but I’m not conceded.”

“It’s magic, you dork.” Lauren said, but her heart wasn’t in the insult. “You think about anyone or anywhere on Hogwarts grounds that you want, and it appears on the mirror.”

My heart skipped a beat. This would let me see anyone, or anywhere, at any time. “Why doesn’t even House have one of these?” I asked incredulously.

“Helena Hufflepuff created it herself. Only a couple exist today. She left one her, and it’s now an artifact.” Lauren said matter-of-factually. “Enough history. Are you going to use it or what?”

I closed my eyes and thought of Hiccup. How he totally friend-zoned me, and how he tackled me and sat on me last night, and how good it felt to have his small body in my arms… I opened my eyes in a flash, banning myself from thinking that ever again.

And there he was, right in the mirror. He was looking around nervously, Toothless trailing behind him. All of a sudden, their background became clear; it was the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hiccup took one last look around and then darted behind the trees, Toothless following after him.

“What the hell is he doing sneaking into the Forbidden Forest?” I screeched, almost dropping the mirror. Lauren just laughed, a little shell-shocked.

“Aw, you do care.” She said sarcastically. I shot her a glance, but continued to rant anyway.

“It’s forbidden for a reason, Lauren!” I said. “I snuck into the Forest second year, and I almost got trampled by some centaurs! And not to mention I got three months of detention because of it!”

“Pffft, like detention ever derailed you from doing what you wanted,” Lauren said, rolling her eyes and reaching out for the mirror.

“Not the point, Lauren.” I said seriously. “Hiccup could die out there.” I looked at the mirror one more time, memorizing the trees Hiccup disappeared into.

“I think you’re just upset that he’s doing something dangerous without you,” Lauren said, snatching the mirror out of my hands. She walked over to the fireplace as she spoke. “Now, I know you ‘dropped’ Hiccup, but I think you want to follow him.”

I opened my mouth, about to say something, when I realized she was right. I did want to follow him. How in the world does she read me so clearly, like I’m a book she’s totally interested in? Lauren knows me so well, that she knows what I want to do before I do.

“I…” was all that came out of my mouth. Lauren turned around, her arms folded across her chest, her brow raised. I rushed to her, and hugged her. She looked a little shocked, but I could care less. I let her go, and I held her shoulders arms-length away. I quickly kissed her cheek and let her go. “Thank you Lauren! For everything!” I said, turning on my heels and running out the door.

“Anytime, Jack!” I heard her shout before the door closed behind me. All that didn’t matter now. I raced through the halls, knowing exactly where Hiccup’s entry place to the Forbidden Forest was. I ran until I could barely breathe, and even then I still ran. Hiccup could be killed in that forest!

I slowed down when I neared the forest. I kicked off my shoes and hid them near a log; I would walk quieter without them. Then I slipped into the forest. It was dark and scary, everything I saw second year and more. In a patch of mud, I saw a Hiccup-sized footprint and a cat print. I knew I was going in the right direction and I smiled to myself.

I trekked farther into the forest, until I wondered how I could find my way back. But that didn’t matter, what was more important was the fact that Hiccup was in here!

A voice. No, a laugh. I turned my head so fast I still think I have whiplash. It was coming from in between a crack in some boulders… big enough for Hiccup to shimmy through. I scrambled over there, quietly, and pushed through the opening.

Inside, there was a beautiful cove. All greenery and life, with a pond right in the middle. I was standing on a formation of boulders, and I knew I had to climb down. But what I saw in the cove shocked me.

A dragon, black as night and as huge as it can be, was standing on the ground. And Hiccup sitting before it, something in his hands. I was about to open my mouth when Hiccup said something.

“I know bud, I know.” He was saying. “But I need to fix this really fast.” The dragon growled. A sudden thought hit me: where was Toothless?

“Hiccup?” I whispered, not loud enough for the wind to hear me.

“I’m serious, Toothless. Once I adjust this, we can set out. I just need to…” Hiccup said, mumbling off to himself. Toothless?

My eyes widened as big as saucers. The dragon was Toothless. Hiccup was the dragon rider I envied so much. I quietly maneuvered myself out of my crouching pose and slide myself down the boulders. Toothless noticed me, and his acid green eyes locked onto me. He let out a low growl; it resonated in my chest even though I was far away.

“HA!” Hiccup shouted, suddenly on his feet. “Got it, bud! Bud?” Hiccup said, noticing Toothless’ behavior. He dropped whatever he was fixing, it looked like a saddle, and touched the dragon’s forehead lovingly. “Toothless, what’s wrong?”

Being the jokester that I am, I quickly ran up behind Hiccup and tapped his shoulder.

“Hey, Freckles. What are you doing out here?” I asked casually. He yelped.

“Jack! W-what are you d-doing here?” Hiccup said, pushing Toothless behind him. Honestly, I wasn’t going to hurt him or anything.

“You can’t really hide a dragon, you know.” I said, smacking my lips ironically. I suppressed the urge to pull the tiny person into my arms, and absolutely repelled the desire to kiss him; I said I dropped him from my mind, and I keep my word… well, most of the time.

“Did… did you _follow_ me?” Hiccup squeaked. Toothless hissed at me, and Hiccup patted its head to calm it down.

“I’m not a stalker Hiccup.” I deadpanned. “You know it’s against the rules to be out here.” I stepped closer.

“Didn’t stop you second year.” Hiccup shot back. I stopped moving. Hell, I stopped _breathing_. He… he knew about that? Not a lot of people knew about my little excursion that day, despite how fast word flies around Hogwarts.

“How did you know that?” I said, shocked that I could get the words out. Hiccup instantly colored.

“Pssh, the whole world knows about that, Jack. C’mon, where have you been?” Hiccup said, obviously lying.

“No,” I said. “No it doesn’t. How did you know that?” I asked again. This was infuriating!

“I might have been… cowering next to a statue when Professor Pitch pulled you through the halls by your ear.” Hiccup confessed, cringing a little. “I heard him giving you a lecture about the ‘dangers of the Forbidden Forest’ and how fear makes you do stupid things…”

“You… you were there?” I asked. That day was the darkest ever in all my time here at Hogwarts. “Wait… what were you doing walking around the castle at one o’clock in the morning? That’s deliberately disobeying school rules, Hiccup.”

“It’s sort of a long story, but it’s boring. You don’t want to hear it.” Hiccup dismissed. Toothless seemed to calm down a lot, but he was still pissed.

“I got all the time in the world, Hiccup. But I’ll ask later,” I said. If he didn’t want to talk about it, fine. “What I want to know, is how in the world did you get a dragon?” Hiccup sighed, and cringed, like he was hoping I stayed away from that subject.

“My village, Berk, fought dragons for generations.” Hiccup said, sighing again, and sitting on the floor, leaning against Toothless. I sat down next to him. “When my mom died, she fell off a dragon… and I saw the whole thing. I went ballistic, basically. I would wander in the forest all day, and barely ate anything. That’s when I found Toothless, he was grounded in the woods because half of his tail was ripped off. I made him a prosthetic, one I could control. And we became inseparable.

“My dad thought my change of mood was weird, so he planned for us to move to the United States. I had to tell him about Toothless, and how I couldn’t leave him behind. He let me keep him, and later on, I figured a spell that changes beasts into household pets. And that’s why I smuggled Toothless into Hogwarts as a cat; he needs me, and I need him.” Hiccup confessed. He looked up at me with a pained expression.

“Damn, Hiccup.” I breathed. Without knowing what I was doing I leaned over and slid my arms around his waist, hugging him. He tensed at first but he relaxed quickly enough as he wrapped his arms around my neck. “I’m so sorry.” I whispered in his ear.

“Don’t be,” I heard him mumble. I laughed a little. Hiccup excavated himself from the crook of my neck and looked up at me, our noses touching. His green eyes were wider than dinner plates. “Jack…” He breathed.

“If you want me to let go, all you have to do is ask,” I said quietly. I knew that my voice leaked with sorrow.

“No, no.” He replied softly. “It’s just that…” Hiccup trailed off, as his eyelids slid closed and he moved closer. His breath was hot on my lips. _What was he doing?_ I let my eyes close, and moved about a millimeter closer to Hiccup.

Our lips hovered next to each other for a moment. Then I moved, and our lips barely touched, only a _whisper_ of contact, when…

Toothless growled. Loud, menacing, and addressed to me. I jumped back, my hands leaving Hiccup’s waist, my eyes flashing open in alarm. Toothless’ acid green eyes gave me a look that I easily interpreted: “ _If you weren’t his friend, I would kill you right about now_ …” I looked at Hiccup and he was as red as a tomato. I was probably that shade too.

“ _Sorryaboutthat_ …” Hiccup said quickly, not meeting my eyes.

“Don’t be,” I said softly. What was I doing? We’re just friends!!! I saw Hiccup’s lips curl into a small smile. Toothless gave him a nudge, shocking Freckles back to reality.

“Oh! Right, yeah Toothless, we can go now…” Hiccup said, patting the black dragon’s head reassuringly as he stood up.

“So, um… I’ll see you later then?” I said, standing up also. I noticed that they were going to be up in the air… just the two of them. Good, I wanted to run away from here. Why was I such an _imbecile_?

“Yeah! Of course… I mean…” Hiccup said awkwardly. I laughed.

“Your head’s in the clouds, Frecks, why don’t you go get it?” I asked, shoving my hands into my hoodie pocket, shielding Freckles from seeing them shake. Hiccup smiled, his dorky, adorable, lopsided smile that sent shivers down my spine. “ _I came so close to kiss those lips,_ ” I thought… No. It’s over.

“I think I will, Frosty.” Hiccup said, trying to stifle a chuckle. “Maybe I will…” In a moment, he was on Toothless, and they were up in the air. Hiccup was so freaking adorable…

No, I’m not supposed to be thinking like that anymore…

I turned, and headed out of the Forbidden Forest the way I had come.

Were we really that close to kissing? Did he _want_ to kiss me? Was I taking all of his the wrong way, or was he _actually_ moving closer to kiss me? I heard a triumphant yell from Hiccup every once and a while, but I didn’t look up. I needed to forget everything. All of the four years I spent lusting after this one person, I needed to forget it. How did someone forget their first love?

I disappeared into the castle, and I found myself running. I didn’t know where I was going, or why, but I was off. In a blur, I was throwing myself onto my bed, and I didn’t remember half the journey. I buried my head in my pillow and cried.

I cried for being stuck in the friend-zone. I cried for wasting four years of my life. I cried for handing my heart to someone who easily threw it away. I cried for giving up on my little Freckles. I cried for not kissing him when I had the chance. I cried at my own stupidity to fall in love so easily.

And then someone was shaking my shoulders. I sniffled once and then wiped my tears away hastily. In front of me stood my friend, Xavier. He was broad shouldered, lightning fast, and stubborn. But he was always good for a laugh, and always had an ear when I needed someone to talk to. But I had given him the ‘cold-shoulder’ lately; spending my time with Hiccup and Lauren rather than him. He had brown eyes that, if you looked close enough, had red flecks in them. His blonde hair was always spiked up, defying gravity without the need of hair gel.

“Jack.” He said, speaking severely. “What the fuck is going on with you lately?” Xavier shook my shoulders slightly.

“What-what do you mean?” I said quietly, my voice breaking.

“You know what I mean, Frost!” He said letting go and looking me in the eye. “You’ve been acting weird. You’ve been hanging out with those nerds-!” I almost punched him.

“They aren’t nerds! They’re my friends!” I yelled, scooting away from him, not trusting my hands. They were itching to collide with the side of his face

“I’m your friend, too. And you’ve been acting strange!” Xavier shouted back, jabbing a finger at his chest, and then at me as he talked. His visible calmed down, running the hand he was pointing with through his hair. “Look, Jack. You… haven’t been acting like yourself lately. You didn’t even come in last night. And… you’ve been getting real close to that Lauren chick…”

“I don’t like her, I swear.” I said quickly. “She… just knows a secret of mine. I don’t want her telling. But have you ever talked to her? She’s so easy to talk to!” I thought changing the subject would get me off the hook, but I guess not.

“That’s not the point, Jack. Is there something going on?” He said seriously. He wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer, and he knew there was something wrong with me before I did. Sometimes he was _exactly_ like Lauren, it was scary.

“Sort of. But I can handle this on my own.” I said, looking away from him.

“Obviously, you _can’t_. You just ran in here and cried like you just had a really bad break-up for crying out loud! No… pun intended.” Xavier said. I blushed slightly. That was how I was acting, huh? Like a love-sick school girl who found out her crush was going out with someone else.

“I’m fine.” I breathed, making myself look at my friend. “I can handle this just fine on my own.”

“Do you know what I hear when someone says ‘I’m fine’?” Xavier said.

It sounded like a prompt for a joke, but there was a serious cloud that hung over him. I shook my head.

“I hear, ‘fuck you, I don’t need you or your help, just leave me alone here to die because this is so fuckin’ horrible’.” He said, a hint of anger etched in his features. “You need help, Jack, so just freaking tell me.”

“You’re going to laugh.” I said. “Or hate me. Or kill me.”

“And why would I do that?” Xavier challenged. If he wanted to know, fine.

“I’m gay!” I said, throwing my hands in the air. Xavier’s mouth dropped open. “That little auburn-haired boy that I’ve been hanging out with? I’m in love with him, okay? Lauren was the only person who knew, and she was good enough not to tell anyone!” I was breathing heavily at the end of my rant, and Xavier was still looking at me like I grew another head. “But he only likes me as a friend. I’ve liked him ever since first year, and now all that’s wasted.”

Tears were coming again, but I didn’t care. I let them fall down my face, grimacing as if they were acid. Xavier was opening and closing his mouth, unsure of what to do. I was sick of it. I picked up my tear-stained pillow and threw it at him.

“So you know the fucking truth now!” I shouted. “Go and tell everyone how much of a faggot I am! I don’t care! All I care about is Hiccup, and he doesn’t give a _shit_!” I was in full-blown hysterics now, tears flowing, my body shaking from the sobs I fought to keep in. And Xavier was just looking at me.

“Jack… I-.” Xavier started to say, but I cut him off.

“Don’t say you’re sorry!” I yelled. “Don’t say that you are fuckin’ sorry! You have no idea what the hell this has been like for me!”

“I get it, okay?” Xavier yelled, shocking me.

I didn’t know what to say. Everything was just such a mess, I didn’t even know which way was up. All I could think about was Hiccup. _My_ Hiccup. But not anymore… he was never really my Hiccup anyway. Then I had to be a jack-ass (no pun intended) and almost kiss the poor guy! Oh, my life was ruined! I almost burst out in another crying fit if it wasn’t for Xavier standing right here.

“You-you do?” I said, hiccupping. Damn, it reminded me even more of Hiccup.

“Yeah, I do! I would never be _that_ cruel to tell everyone and ruin your life!” Xavier said, putting a hint of humor in his voice. Trust him to cheer me up, he’s my best friend after all.

“It… doesn’t creep you out that I’m gay?” I asked. I was too sad to even try to keep the doubt out of my voice. Wouldn’t any normal person be freaked out if they found out their friend is gay?

“Of course not!” Xavier replied, sitting on my bed next to me. Probably to prove his point. “You’re the same old Jack, you didn’t change or anything. And besides, as long as the crush isn’t on me, I’m cool with it.” Was he really brushing this off like it was nothing?

“Okay, then,” I said, hiccupping again, and rubbing my eyes furiously.

“You need some serious comfort food.” Xavier said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me to my feet. “And I know the perfect place.”

He marched me out the door. I pulled my wrist free somewhere along the way. I was ushered through some corridors, and then I found myself face-to-face with a portrait of a bowl of fruit. Xavier tickled the pear and the painting swung open.

“Say hello to the Hogwarts kitchens, Jack Frost!” Xavier said, pulling me inside.

* * *

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

Oh my fucking gods! That did not just happen! I yelled again, pure happiness saturating my voice.  

Jack and I almost kissed. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Jack was right, my head _was_ up in these clouds. I was looking everywhere for it. Toothless did a graceful backflip where we are upside down for about ten seconds. I closed my eyes, stopping my fruitless search, and let the wind tousle my hair. I moved us into a dive position and Toothless had no objection.

I should have asked Jack to come along, but Toothless would probably be pissed at me. I’ll ask him next time… if there is a next time. Jack seemed a little off after our almost-kiss.

Oh lord…

OH MY _FUCKING_ GODS! I almost kissed my best friend, who I have no idea if he even swings that way!

“AAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGHH!” I let out my distressed cry, earning a questioning glance from Toothless. “Oh my _gods_ Toothless! You saw that didn’t you? I almost kissed him! I ruined mother fucking _everything_!”

Yep, I was losing it. I could tell because I was cussing. I never cussed. Not even when I burned myself in the forge back when I lived in Berk. Toothless decided to take things into his own… paws. Not hands. Toothless doesn’t have hands.

In the middle of the dive, he flung his wings out, acting as a parachute and making us fall slower than we were before. This jerked me out of my panic attack, leaving me to hyperventilate. Toothless shot me a look, slapping me with his ear fins while doing so.

“I’m… I’m fine, bud.” I said, apparently not convincing him. “Okay, maybe a little less than fine, but it’s okay. I got this, bud.”

Toothless didn’t agree with my capability to handle my situations. He landed into the cove, staying still enough to let me hop off and get all his gear off him.

“If you don’t want to fly, fine. We’ll try this again, tomorrow night.” I grumbled. I basically saw Toothless roll his eyes. _What kind of a dragon rolled his eyes_? I shrunk the gear and out them safely in my pocket. I turned Toothless into a cat and pulled him into my arms. I started to make my way to the castle without being noticed.

I ended up spilling Toothless on the floor and making a break for it, him right on my heels. I was running through the corridors before I knew it, dodging people and skidding corners. Then I almost ran into someone.

“Hiccup? Why the rush?” Lauren said, a smile on her face. She was carrying a book, that ridiculous raccoon hat still on her head.

“No-no reason,” I stuttered, trying to catch my breath. Toothless walked up to Lauren and demanded attention, and she so graciously gave it to him.

“You just felt the need to get a little exercise?” Lauren said, looking up at me while rubbing Toothless’ exposed belly. I laughed a little, causing pain in my side.

“You could say that, sure.” I replied. I just wanted to go to my room! I needed to cry my eyes out. I ruined everything but acting on one stupid impulse. Oh gods, how am I going to force myself to go to class tomorrow?

“What’s wrong, Hiccup?” Lauren cooed, abandoning Toothless and turning all her attention onto me. I noticed my eyes were welled up with tears. I rubbed at them hastily.

“I must have gotten dust in my eyes or something. You know, this place is pretty old…” I said. I suck at lying, and it didn’t help that I was trying to lie to _Lauren_. In the short month that I’ve met her, she’s gotten to know me so well that she can read me like that book in her hand with her eyes closed.

“You suck at lying, Hiccup,” She said, grabbing my hand. “Tell me, what’s going on?”

“Not… not here…” I said. What if someone overheard? Then Jack and I would be toast! And it’s not even his fault! Lauren clicked her tongue and pulled at my wrist.

“Come on then,” She said. Moments later (or what felt like moments, I was too busy worrying my bottom lip and trying not to cry), we arrived at the library. She didn’t let go of my wrist though. She pulled me through the library until we reached her haven; the small, cramped, and surprisingly empty fiction section. She pushed me into a chair that was next to a desk, and she flopped into the other one.

“Why is it that no one comes in this section anyway?” I asked. Hey, curiosity couldn’t be held in forever, just like it was a mystery that the bossy librarian let Toothless in.

“Oh, this section is basically child’s stories. I memorize all these so when I go home, I can tell my brothers.” Lauren said easily. A fond smile stretched across her face.

“You are _such_ a nice sister,” I said, hoping to delay he conversation at hand as much as possible. But, obviously, it wasn’t going to happen.

“Don’t try to butter me up, Hiccup. You’re still going to tell me what’s up.” Lauren said, her voice becoming stern. I sighed. _It’s now or never_ …

“Jack and I… almost kissed.” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. Lauren was out of her chair, screaming like a banshee, and shaking my shoulders.

“Oh my gosh, Hiccup! I am so happy for you! What happened? You have to tell me everything!” She was screeching, hopping around like she couldn’t possibly stay still for a second. It was sickening.

“It’s not a good thing, Lauren.” I said, pained. _Here comes the hard-to-explain part_ … Lauren’s face fell as she let go of my shoulders and sat in her seat again, shocked. She moved her chair closer and looked at me with ‘ _sympathy_ ’ written all over her face.

“What?” She said, horrified.

“You heard me.” I said. I _hate_ repeating myself. “It’s not a good thing.” She was about to open her mouth, I could tell that much. “ _I ruined everything_.” I continued on quietly, forcing her to shut up and listen for a second. “He’s the only friend I have, besides you and Toothless, and I decide to almost kiss him! I don’t even fuckin’ know if he swings that way! He was playing it off, but I could tell there was something off about him. He’s never going to talk to me again…”

My voice broke, and apparently so did the dam I built around my tear ducts. _There goes the waterworks_ … I thought as tears rushed down my face. I flung myself onto the desk and buried my head in my arms.

All the while, Lauren was trying to comfort me. She was murmuring soft words in my ears, but I didn’t hear them. She was rubbing my back and shoulders, but I ignored the touch. Even Toothless was trying to console me. He was rubbing himself around my ankles, reminding me that he’s there. But that only made things worse; Toothless was the one that stopped me from kissing him. He had the common sense to see a bad idea when it was in right in front of him.

“Hiccup…” Lauren was crooning, her head on my right shoulder, her left hand resting on my left shoulder. She sounded like she was crying too. “You don’t know all that… you really don’t. You have to stay positive… I know Jack doesn’t hate you,” She was mumbling.

I jerked at her last words, pushing myself away from her arms and looking at her with my _incredibly_ red eyes.

“You don’t know either.” I said fiercely. “You don’t know a _damn_ thing.” Lauren looked small and vulnerable under my harsh stare, but I didn’t care. “I know you’re trying to help me, but don’t waltz right in and feed me lies. Because that’s all bullshit.”

“I’m not lying, Hic-!” She said frantically. I had enough. I stood up and looked at her.

“When you’re done playing this stupid game, come and talk to me.” I said harshly. Then I walked away, Toothless on my heels, although reluctant.

“You really think I’m lying?” Lauren said after me. I could tell she made no move to get up though. “I wouldn’t be so messed up Hiccup, you know that!”

I ignored her. I went to my common room, and flung myself on my bed, and cried.

Fuck dinner.

Fuck Jack.

Fuck my life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my gosh these boys....  
> thank you for reading!! please review!  
> Stay safe!


	9. Happiest Memory

Chapter Nine: Happiest Memory

** Jack’s P.O.V **

I woke up stuffed. Xavier took me to the kitchens and the house-elves were so nice. They brought buckets of ice cream, boxes of pizza, and even a little pail of raw cookie dough. I ate all that I wanted. I didn’t even go to dinner last night.

I sighed, ready for the day. Yes, I was dreading class like something awful, but it was something that had to be done! I could just ditch, but where would I go? Professor North (who am I kidding? All the professors) knows my hide outs, and I would be given detention, let alone I couldn’t play Quidditch this year. I wondered over to the bathroom and quickly brushed my teeth.

Pulling on my uncomfortable uniform and pinch-y shoes, I looked in the mirror. My eyes were still slits, my tie was crooked, and my hair was a mess. Yep, ready for an awesome day at Hogwarts. Yippee. (That was sarcasm, did anyone catch that?)

It was too late to get some breakfast, so I stuffed all my books in my rucksack and headed off to Transfiguration. I actually got there a little early, even Hiccup wasn’t there yet. _Don’t think of Hiccup_ … I thought harshly, blinking back the slight tears that formed in my eyes. Stupid tear ducts…

“Jack!” Professor Tooth said happily. “You’re here early.”

“Yeah,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. Whenever I talked to a teacher was when I was in trouble. “I wasn’t that hungry, so I just sort of ended up here.”

“Well, breakfast is the most important of the day, but at least you brushed your teeth, right?” Tooth said. She really was a tooth-enthusiast.

“Right!” I said, falsely-chipper and smiling. I was turning to go to my seat _that was next to Hiccup_ when Tooth flashed in front of me. Fingers were prying my mouth open.

“Oooh! Jack!” Professor Tooth was cooing. “Your teeth are white as snow!”

“AAAAH aaagh bwaaagh…” I said, or at least tried to.

“Professor? What are you doing?” A voice said, puzzled. Her fingers were out of my mouth in an instant and I shut my mouth tightly. I looked at the face of my savior. It was none other than Hiccup.

“I couldn’t help myself,” Tooth said, slightly flustered. She patted my shoulder once. “Sorry, Jack.”

“Itsalright…” I muttered, trying not to open my mouth so much. Then the professor fluttered back to her desk. Hiccup walked over to me, smiling. “Thanks Freckles.” I said with a small, gracious smile.

“No problem. That must have been weird.” Hiccup said. Was he holding back a laugh? He was so going to get it later… _not like that_! (Stop being so dirty-minded…)

“Yeah, it wasn’t particularly pleasant. To be honest.” I said, my smile widening. He was my best friend, after all. And besides, this kid was adorable. But I was over him… right? And then he laughed. I remembered our little all-nighter, him tackling me and us just… being friends. Why did I have to ruin all this?

“I could only imagine…” Hiccup said, smiling so that his crooked teeth showed. “Have you ever been covered in dragon saliva?” He asked. We sat down in our seats and took out our books.

“No… why would I be? It sounds like fun.” I said, joking around.

“It is _not_ fun.” Hiccup growled playfully. “It’s way too sticky and it stains clothes.” I looked at him, my face in a ‘ _whaaat?_ ’ expression. “Toothless, remember?” He breathed through gritted teeth.

“OH!” I said, dragging it out.

“Yeah, Frosty. I thought you would remember something like that a _bit_ easier.” Hiccup said, flipping him book open as students filed in. I followed suit.

“Sorry, I had other things to remember.” I hissed back, not even checking the words that came out of my mouth. Hiccup froze, about the same time that I did. He looked at me with a wary expression, biting his bottom lip like a deer caught in some headlights. My eyes were probably as wide as saucers, and I was most likely paler than usual.

“I thought wrong, then.” Hiccup said, suddenly turning playful. “You really have nothing going on upstairs, if you can’t remember a _dragon_ …” I clicked my tongue and pretended to look through my book. Hiccup laughed softly.

“Okay, I’m offended now.” I muttered, just loud enough for him to hear me. “My pride will never recover from the damage you put it through.” I was trying to keep the laugh out of my voice. Hiccup looked at me.

“Stop being such a drama queen,” He said, a wry smile stretching across his face.

“Queen? _Queen_?” I said, feigning outrage. “That is _king_ to you, Freckles!” Hiccup laughed, slapping a hand over his mouth to stifle it. “ _And you think this is funny_? I, the King of Winter, command you to stop laughing at once!” I said, unable to stop myself from laughing.

The class started with Hiccup and I convulsing with laughter at our desk, trying to calm down. Professor Tooth glared at us from time to time, but we couldn’t stop. Everyone was looking at us like we were weirdos.

I was happy that me almost kissing him didn’t ruin anything. He was acting like it didn’t happened, so why should I act like it did? How he could get over something so fast, I have no idea, but I was grateful for it. I made me want to hold on to this moment even longer…

It was suffice to say that today was a good day, but it wasn’t over yet. Hiccup and I had two more classes to go: Potions and Defense. We were walking out of the Great Hall, and we were heading for the dungeons.

“Hiccup! Jack!” Lauren yelled, making the two of us turn around simultaneously. She was wearing her Hogwarts uniform like everyone else, but her shirt was untucked and her yellow-and-black tie was loose. Her golden-brown hair was streaming behind her, little braids streaking through it now and then. She ran up to us and gave a smile.

“Do you have a tracking device on us or something?” I said sarcastically, smiling at her. She punched my shoulder playfully, but I would never admit that it actually hurt.

“Oh shut _up_.” Lauren said. “I have a break right now, dummy.”

“That makes perfect sense then,” Hiccup said, gesturing at her clothes. “We gotta get to class, Loor.” He sighed.

“Loor?” Lauren said, looking at Hiccup like he was tap-dancing all over the place.

“We all got nicknames here, it was time you had one too.” Hiccup said, shrugging. A shrill bell sounded, signaling that we had three minutes to get to class. Hiccup pulled Lauren into a bone-crushing hug, and he whispered something to her quickly and she said something back. “Gotta go!” He said cheerfully, leaving her stunned. He grabbed my wrist and headed toward the Potions classroom.

“Why are you so eager to get to class?” I asked, stumbling along as he pulled me. The Potions classroom was a couple doors down and he dropped my hand, but he didn’t slow down his pace.

“Because,” he huffed, as if it was obvious, “Pitch is the only teacher I can’t sweet-talk, and I’ll be _toast_ if I’m late!”

“Yummm, toast…” I said, jokingly. Hiccup shot me a hard glare before walking into the classroom.

“Not funny, Jack,” He sang quietly.

“Hilarious, Hiccup.” I sang back, parroting his tone. He shot me another glare as we plopped down in our seats… just as the bell rang.

“Alright, class. Take out your books and turn to page 394.” Pitch drawled, his voice sending shivers up everyone’s spines. “Well, what are you waiting for?” He said, his voice slightly raised. In a flash, all our books were out and the pages were flipping, trying to find page 394. My book was nice to me, and when I opened the book, I was on page 390. I flipped the couple pages and sat back, content. A paper ball hit the back of my head, and I whipped around, about to yell, when I saw Xavier behind me.

“ _Open it_ ,” He mouthed. I bent down and picked up the paper. I smoothed it out and looked at the words that were made ugly by the wrinkles in the paper.

“ ** _Is that him?!?_** ” Were the words. I looked up at Xavier, his eyes looking green… I shook it off, blaming it on the lighting. I nodded, smiling slightly. Xavier made a face that I couldn’t describe even if I tried, and then smiled.

I could read his expression perfectly: “ _If you must. Not a bad choice though_ ,” I smiled back and turned back around.

“What’s your problem?” Hiccup muttered, still flipping through his book.

“Nothing, it’s just… Xavier.” I muttered back.

“Oh, how descriptive can you get, oh wonderful King of Winter?” Hiccup said sarcastically, rolling his green eyes.

“Oh, how annoying can you be, Prince of Sarcasm?” I shot back, earning a laugh from the freckled boy.

“Wait, why am I a prince and you’re a-!” Hiccup was saying under his breath when Pitch cut him off.

“Today, we are going to brew the Draught of Peace. Directions are in your books. You must follow them precisely. At the end of class, your partner will be testing the potion out. Good luck.” Professor Pitch drawled as he slunk back into the shadows.

“The Draught of Peace… hmmm…” Hiccup said, overlooking the procedure in the textbook. “It’s do-able. Let’s get started.”

We set to work, and to be honest it was completely boring. The Draught’s instructions had to be followed _precisely_ , if not, it could be fatal. Good thing I am somewhat of a perfectionist (although I would never _ever_ admit it), and we got the job done.

“It looks perfect!” Hiccup said, basically hopping up and down he was that excited.

“We did it!” I practically yelled, putting my hand up for a high-five. Instead Hiccup gave me a quick hug. When I say ‘quick’, I mean _quick_ ; one second he was hugging me, the next he was looking back at the potion, all business like nothing happened.

“So, who should test it?” He say asking me. I barely heard him. I was still shocked. “Jack? _Jaaack_?” He was shaking my shoulder.

“What? Oh, um…” I said, most likely turning an interesting shade of red.

“Haddock, Frost. Surely you cannot be don’t brewing yet.” Pitch drawled, suddenly behind me. I shivered.

“Y-yes sir, we are f-finished brewing.” Hiccup said, all happiness forgotten. He was trembling now.

“It’s true, _sir_.” I said fiercely, turning around to look at the professor. “We followed all the directions perfectly.”

“Is that so?” Pitch said, smiling evilly to show his pointed teeth. His amber eyes glinted with something I couldn’t make out. His grey complexion made me want to barf.  I nodded fiercely at him. “Well, why don’t we try it out then?”

In an instant, Pitch had a vial in his hand. He filled the vial with our potion and shoved it toward Hiccup. He looked at it as if it was a viper about to strike.

“No!” I said under my breath. I made to snatch the vial out of Pitch’s hand, but he moved away at the last second. “I’ll test it out sir.” I was frantic now. What if we somehow did something wrong? Hiccup could fall asleep forever!

“No, I don’t think you will. Poor Haddock looks like he could use it more than you.” Pitch drawled, again handing the vial to Hiccup.

Freckled and shaky hands took the vial, and slowly raised it to his lips. The turquoise potion was drained from the vial, and Hiccup lowered it quickly. His eyes were wide, and a smile was stretching over his lips.

“H-Hiccup?” I squeaked. Dreamy green eyes found me, and his smile widened.

“Hi Jack.” He said dopily, “ _Woah_ , I never noticed how blue your eyes were, well, actually I did but…” He started laughing.

“Five points from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. The Draught was too strong.” Pitch said. I noticed that everyone was watching us. “Take him to the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey will know what to do with him.”

“Yessir…” I mumbled, taking Hiccup’s wrist and leading him out of the dungeons. He was laughing hysterically.

“Jack!” Hiccup whined as he stumbled along. “Where are you taking me?”

“To the Hospital Wing, dummy.” I said, looking at him weirdly. Was he high or something? “Madame Pomfrey needs to fix you up.”

“ _No_ ,” He whined again, freeing his wrist from my grasp, making me turn around and look at him. He stumbled toward me and wrapped his arms around my neck. He then buried his head in the crook of my neck. “I don’t need to be fixed… I have you…” His breath tickled, but I wasn’t about to laugh.

“Hiccup, you’re acting like you’re high right now. You need to see a doctor.” I said, trying to get his hands off my neck.

“Mm-kay, doc.” Hiccup said, his eyes half-lidded. “It’s time for my check-up…” He sang. He started to take off his shirt, and I pushed it back down.

“Hiccup! You don’t… argh, whatever.” I said, scooping him in my arms bridal style. He was surprisingly light. Hiccup laughed, his teeth showing and his eyes dulling sparkling as he looked up at me.

“Jack… you’re so strong…” He mumbled, playing with my earlobe. I didn’t have a hand to swat him away with. “You’re carrying a fishbone!” He said loudly, laughing at his own, apparently hysterical, joke.

“Hiccup… just shut up until I get you until the hospital wing. Please.” Seeing him like this was killing me. I knew this was because of the Draught. He was going crazy because I put too much syrup of hellebore in it.

And then he started singing.

“ _And now I’m sunny with a high of 75~!_

_Since you took my heavy heart and made it light_ ~!

_And it’s funny how you find you enjoy your life~_

_When you’re happy to be alive~!_ ”

His voice wasn’t all that bad, but it was the words that hit me. He couldn’t actually mean all that, could he? Then he started up again, singing a totally different song this time.

“ _They say before you start a war~_

_You better know what you’re fighting for~_

_Well baby you are all that I adore~_

_If love is what you need, a solider I will be~!_ ”

As he was singing this, he was trailing his fingers down my face, still messing with my earlobe. I rolled my eyes inwardly and groaned. How is it that he knew all these love songs? It was maddening.

“Finally!” I yelled, reaching the hospital wing. I stood Hiccup up and grabbed his wrist and pulled him in.

“Jack… what are you-?” Hiccup started to say, but I cut him off.

“ _Madame Pomfrey_!” I shouted. A woman came out in nurses’ clothing, she had kind eyes that had a calculating look in them.

“Oi, Jack? In here again?” She said, irritated.

“It’s not me.” I said gesturing to Hiccup. “He drank a Draught of Peace with a little too much syrup of hellebore.”

“My, my. Well, come here.” She said, gesturing to Hiccup.

“But… I don’t wanna… I wanna stay with Jaaack…” Hiccup whined.

“I’m right here, Hic…” I said, leading him toward the nurse.

“Come here now, Hiccup. I need you to drink this, it’ll make you feel better.” Madame Pomfrey said, sitting Hiccup on a bed and handing him a cup. Hiccup took it, then looked at me with puppy-dog eyes.

“I’m not going to drink it if Jack doesn’t.” Hiccup said, green eyes not leaving me. I looked at him funny. I knew he wasn’t in his right mind, but this was dumb.

“You are out of your head, boy!” Madame Pomfrey exclaimed. “This could make Jack potentially sicker than you! Why would you want to do that?”

“I don’t want to do anything without him because I love-.” Hiccup was saying. I couldn’t hear it. He was crazy, drunk, high, whatever; this wasn’t what he would say if he were normal.

“Just give me one,” I said, cutting Hiccup off and squeezing my eyes shut.

“But-!” Madame Pomfrey argued. I gave her a look.

“Just give it to me,” I said. She handed me a cup. “Ready, Hiccup? On the count of three…” Hiccup gave me a nod and looked at his drink. “One… two… three!” I said. Hiccup downed his drink, and I poured mine in the plant that was _conveniently_ right next to me.

Hiccup’s eyes fluttered and he brought the cup away from his lips. He opened and closed his eyes tightly, and then looked around.

“Woah… how did I get here?” He said, setting the cup down on the nightstand next to the bed. Pomfrey pounced on him. “ACK!” He cried. I laughed, knowing Madame Pomfrey and her ways.

She was assessing him. She opened his mouth, checked his eyes and ears, and lifted his arms. “Hmph.” She said. She took a step back and crossed her arms across her chest.

“What was that for?” Hiccup said. Then her hand darted out and pinched his shoulder. He reacted, his hand rubbing the spot instinctively. “Ow…” He muttered.

“Well?” I asked, stifling a laugh.

“He’s good to go. Now both of you, get to class.” She said, turning away swiftly.

“Thank you!” Hiccup yelled. “ _For nothing_ …” He muttered afterward. I laughed, and we left the Hospital Wing.

“First encounter with Madame Pomfrey?” I asked an extremely confused Hiccup.

“ _Sorry_ I’m healthy.” He said sarcastically. “Jack… what happened?” He asked, seriousness playing on his face.

“Why? Do you remember anything?” I asked. I hoped he didn’t remember all of that, for his sake, of course. I mean, if he didn’t that just means I could act like it never happened either but…

Hiccup’s face screwed up. “The last thing I remember is…” His eyes widened and his cheeks were a deep red. “Was I really singing in the halls?” He asked, as if that was his biggest issue.

“Yeah. You have a nice voice by the way.” I said, partially joking. He wasn’t nails-scratching-a-chalkboard-bad, but he wasn’t angelic-choir-good either. Hiccup was looking at me wide-eyed, apparently not expecting the compliment. I crossed my eyes and made a fishy-face at him. Then I laughed.

“Shut. Up.” He said, trying not to laugh. “Why was I doing that though? What happened?”

“Our potion had a _little_ bit too much syrup of Hellebore.” I said, holding up my hand to show that my index finger and thumb were about a millimeter apart.

All I could think was: _THANK GOD HE DIDN’T REMEMBER ANYTHING PAST THE SINGING PART_! Seeing Hiccup that way freaked me out a little, and it made me want to keep him away from Butterbeer as much as possible. If a little syrup of Hellebore could turn him homosexual and make him act like that, what would alcohol do to him?

* * *

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

I cannot _believe_ I did all that to poor Jack. Thank the gods he’s such a good friend.

Now, I wasn’t really in control of my actions there, I just want to make that clear. It was like I was in the passenger seat while another side of me took the wheel. And apparently, the ‘other side of me’ was the side that was totally in love with Jack. Without my sarcasm and self-control, I turned into… that. A singing mess that had no respect for personal boundaries.

Did I let on that I remembered all of it? _Absolutely not_! Just claim that the ingredients did that to you, Haddock, and the world will be back in orbit. Besides, I almost said ‘I love you’ to Jack. How was I going to play _that_ one off?

We headed down to the dungeons to grab our stuff, which was unceremoniously thrown into the hallway, probably by none other than Pitch. We gathered everything up, and went to our next class: Defense Against the Dark Arts.

I wasn’t technically good in that subject, but with Jack as my partner I was doing better than before. You see, my instinct is always to duck and cover, seeing how I don’t have the ‘fight back’ mentality. Growing up on a dragon-infested island didn’t give me any leverage either; I was a wimp.

Being on the good side of the teacher always helped too. Professor Bunnymund helped me the most that he could, because I apparently reminded him about some Jaime kid he met a while back on this _crazy_ adventure…

“Hiccup, are you even listening to me?” Jack said, shaking my shoulder.

“In all honesty, no.” I said.

“Well, I feel loved.” Jack said, pouting.

“Well, _sorry_ the potion got me all spacey!” I said, playfully snapping at him. Jack snapped out of his pout and smiled.

“Don’t blame it on the potion, Frecks. You’ve _always_ been spacey.” Jack said, on his high horse.

“Always?” I said, looking at him through the hair that fell into my face. I brushed it aside. “You’ve only known me since this year!”

“I think we’ve had this conversation before.” Jack said. “I’ve known _of_ you since first year, we just haven’t talked until now.” I rolled my eyes.

“Whatever.” I said, as we walked into the classroom.

The place was unrecognizable. The desks and chairs were gone, and everyone was practicing a spell that, surprisingly, I didn’t know the name of. Bunnymund was watching over everyone… until Jack and I walked into the classroom.

“Bite-size!” Bunnymund yelled. “I was wondering where your skinny arse was. You never miss a class.” His heavy Australian accent warped the sentence, making it funnier than it should have.

“Sorry, Professor Kangaroo, we had an incident with potions…” Jack said, shrugging.

“Oi, Frostbite.” The gigantic bunny said, taking a boomerang out of its holster from his back. “I’m not a kangaroo, mate.”

“Whatever.” Jack said, rolling his eyes and smiling.

“Why do you hang out with him?” the professor asked me, and I just shrugged. “So what happened to you under Pitch’s watch? Explosion?”

“No, actually.” I said, putting my backpack against a wall. “I drank a Draught of Peace and got all loopy.” I didn’t exactly want to go into detail. That would be just slightly awkward.

“Poor Bite-size,” Bunnymund said, no sarcasm in his voice. He didn’t know what sarcasm was; he meant everything he said. “I’m gonna have to have a word with Pitch. Having his kids do dangerous things in class…” Bunnymund clicked his tongue, his nose twitching.

“Oh, yeah, like this isn’t dangerous.” I said rolling my eyes.

“It isn’t actually. Not this time at least.” Bunnymund said, looking around appreciatively. “They’re Patronuses.”

“I’ve read about them!” I said, suddenly happy. “I’ve been waiting to cover these _all year_!”

Bunnymund laughed. “Try it then. _Expecto Patronum_.” He said, reminding me of the incantation. I whipped out my wand and I was about to say the words when it hit me; you needed a happiest memory in order to produce a Patronus.

What was my happiest memory? I had to think about that one. Anything from Berk was far from happy, and meeting Toothless was way scarier than it seemed. Flying on Toothless, maybe?...

“ _Expecto Patronum_!” I said quietly, and a wisp of white smoke trailed from the tip of my wand.

“C’mon, you got to try harder than that, Freckles!” Jack said laughing, his wand at the ready. “Like this!” He scrunched his eyes up really tight and opened them in a flash. “ _Expecto Patronum_!” He yelled, and realistic snowflakes were swirling around the room, as if wind was blowing them out of control.

“Nice job, Frostbite.” Professor Bunnymund said, clapping Jack on the back. “What’s your memory?” He asked. Jack froze and the snowflakes disappeared.

“My-my memory?” Jack asked.

“The memory. Your happiest memory?” Bunnymund said, as if Jack was slow.

“It’s nothing… just… just my sister.” Jack replied in a quiet voice. I could tell he was lying by the way his eyes found mine. Weird. Why would Jack lie about his happiest memory?

I started thinking about Jack and Lauren. My best friends in the universe and they make me feel complete, like I belong. Then all I was thinking about was Jack. The sleep-over we had a couple days ago… the kiss we almost sorta shared yesterday…

I opened my eyes, which I didn’t even know they were closed, and smiled. I found my happiest memory. I twirled my wand around in my hand, before I found a comfortable grip. I twirled my wand unimpressively.

“ _Expecto Patronum_!” I breathed.

A dragon, a scale model of Toothless more like, erupted from my wand. Silvery and misty, it glided around the classroom with as much grace the actual Toothless had. I watched it dart from one corner to the other, doing corkscrew spirals and sharp turns.

That’s when I noticed that everyone was watching my Patronus. Stage-fright hit me square in the chest, and the dragon faded away. Some of my classmates actually ‘Aww’ed.

“Nice one, Bite-size!” Bunnymund said, patting me on the back. “I’ve never seen a dragon Patronus before.”

“Hiccup!” Jack said, rushing over to me. “That was awesome! I can’t believe…!” His hands went over his mouth quickly and when he spoke again it was barely a whisper. “ _That was Toothless_!” He said shocked.

“Well, yeah.” I said, like it was obvious. “And leave it to you to have _snowflakes_ as your Patronus.” I rolled my eyes. He pushed my shoulder, laughing lightly.

“Whatever, Freckles. You know I’m just as unpredictable as snow,” Jack said.

“Yeah and just as irritating…” Hiccup mumbled.

“WHAT?” Jack yelled. “Snow is amazing, for your information, not _irritating_!” Jack was poking his chest now. “And you, sir, cannot say otherwise!” I swatted his hand away, laughing.

“There’s a thing back in America. It’s called ‘freedom of speech.’ I think it applies.” I said. Jack was in my face, his expression hard, but the look didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Well, Freckles, we aren’t in America, are we?” He said. He sounded menacing to everyone else, but I knew better. There was something in his voice… he was definitely teasing but there was something even under that… it wasn’t possible that he was flirting… was it? Nope, not possible.

“Nope, I know my geography.” I said, joking, not moving an inch away. Jack actually moved closer, his eyes narrow and his lips pursed into a line.

“That’s only because you’re a nerd.” He said.

“Oh, yeah?” I challenged.

“Yeah…” Jack replied.

I remembered where we were, and I pushed Jack away from me hastily, and brushed my hair out of my eyes. There was definitely a blush on my face, but I had every reason to be blushing! Our faces were so close, let alone in public!

The rest of class passed uneventfully, but what could happen? We practiced a couple more Patronuses, but I wasn’t up to it. I didn’t want to think about Jack more than I had to. The final bell rang and everyone rushed out of the classroom. I went to collect my backpack.

“”Hey, Bitesize.” Bunnymund said.

“Yes, Professor?” I said, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. I glanced at Jack, who was waiting for me at the door.

“Could I talk to you for a second? Alone?” The giant bunny asked.

“Of course.” I looked at Jack. “I’ll catch up.” I mouthed to him. He nodded and waved good-bye. “Is there something wrong? Am I in trouble?” I asked, trying to suppress the frantic air that was certainly in my voice.

“Nah, nah, Hiccup. You’re a good kid.” He said. “I need to ask you something, though. You don’t have to answer, but…”

“Yes…?” I said.

“Are you and Jack… a thing?” Bunnymund blurted out. If I had taken a sip of something, it would have been sprayed all over the bunny’s face.

“What?” I said. “We-we –we’re just friends!”

“I thought you would say that.” Bunnymund sighed.

“Why would you think something like that?” I said, calmly. I needed to know. Was I being too obvious? If a teacher noticed, Jack would have noticed too. If that was the case, then why hasn’t he said anything?

“You two have gotten pretty close. I even made your nicknames similar because you blokes are practically inseparable!” Bunnymund said, explaining himself.

“Well, nothing’s going on…” I said trailing off and finishing the sentence in my head, ‘ _nothing that I know about, at least_.’

“Get going, Hiccup. Classes are over anyway. See you tomorrow.” Bunnymund said.

“Bye, Professor.” I said, heading out the door. 

That was odd. Very odd. Looks like Bunnymund has more intuition than I expected. I was walking down the hall for a while, lost in thought, when I almost tripped.

“Nice grace, Freckles.” A voice said, laughing.

“Jack! I swear I didn’t see you!” I said. He was sitting on the floor, back against the marble wall and feet outstretched. He was basically folded in half with laughter.

“What? Did you think I would leave you alone with that Kangaroo?” Jack said, standing up. He brushed himself off, like there was anything on him, and looked at me.

“Well?” I asked.

“Well what?” Jack responded.

“Should we get going? We have a lot of homework to finish.” I said. Jack groaned. “C’mon let’s go to the library.”

“The library’s for chumps.” Jack said, pouting. “Let’s go to the Room of Requirement, that way we can chill out when we get finished.”

“Fine, fine… let’s go…” I said. I didn’t really like the idea of being in a room alone with him… maybe. I know I ruined everything, and I’m making up most of the things I see him do that has anything to do with flirting but…

Argh. I can’t explain it. I just had a feeling that something was up. But I didn’t know if that something was good or bad, so I kept my mouth shut as we trekked to the Room of Requirement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The two songs are "High of 75" by Relient K and "Angel With A Shotgun" by The Cab!  
> Thanks for reading!


	10. The Plan

Chapter Ten: The Plan

The Room of Requirement was filled with snacks and it had a huge table in the middle with to chairs. Hiccup and Jack were working diligently on their homework, but Jack was having a hard time concentrating. The way Hiccup bit his lower lip while he thought of an answer made him crazy.

Jack knew it was over, that he had no chance, and that he supposed gave up his crush forever, but Hiccup was so damn adorable. His sarcasm made him fun to joke around with, his goofy lopsided smile made every crack enjoyable, and his small frame made Jack want to gather the boy up into his arms and never let him go.

Jack knew better. Jack knew that he let his self-control down in Defense. He barely stopped himself from kissing Hiccup in front of everyone. And now the temptation was real. There was no one to watch, no one to yell at them… but Hiccup himself. Who knew what he would do if Jack just walked over there and planted one right on him? Jack would be murdered and buried where no one could find him.

He kept the urge suppressed, and tried to focus on their Charms homework.

Hiccup hated this homework. Don’t get me wrong, Hiccup was a nerdy kid and would do anything to keep his grades up. But with Jack around… all Hiccup wanted to do was have a little fun. That was just the aura around Jack. The domino effect.

Hiccup watched Jack try to do his homework, obviously bored with everything. The way he casually stared down at the question, his cheek resting against a propped-up hand. His pale lips were slightly parted, showing perfect white teeth.

Hiccup wanted to do something else, something wrong, something that would make any religious freak faint or angry. Hiccup wanted to kiss Jack. He wanted to know how it felt like to run his hands through his white hair, to kiss him…

_Calm down_ , Hiccup thought. _It’ll never happen_ …

Hiccup knew that him and Jack were basically friend-zoned. Nothing of that sort would ever happen. They were two guys after all. They were friends. Friends don’t kiss.

* * *

** Xavier’s P.O.V **

I was shaking like a leaf. I didn’t know how to come across this, but I needed to talk about it to someone. Lauren was the only other person that knew, and it was the only other option. She was there, alone, sitting on the ledge next to a stained-glass window. She had her nose in a book and a lock of her hair twisted around her finger.

I had to admit that she looked kind of hot.

I sucked up my pride and fear and walked over.

“Hi, are you Lauren?” I asked.

“Yes… who are you?” She replied, closing the book and stuffing it in her backpack. I sat down next to her. My eyes were probably black with fear.

“I’m Xavier, a friend of Jack’s.” I responded. I fought to control the color of my hair, which was a normal blonde and spiked up.

“Oh, well, a friend of Jack’s is a friend of mine!” She said chirpily. “So what’s up?” She asked, as if I knew her since forever.

“I needed to talk to someone about…” my voice died in my throat, and my control slipped. My eyes were a bright blue.

“About what?” She prompted. I cleared my throat and tried again.

“Jack told me… told me about his crush.” I said, looking at her. Her hazel eyes had a ring of dark brown around them, and flecks of gold. Her lips were a little on the thin side, but nothing too major. She looked really confused at the moment, but she regained her composure pretty quickly.

“Crush, huh?” Lauren said, tucking her hair back behind her ear. “What’d he tell you?”

“Nothing really,” I said and I could tell my eyes changed to red. “Just that he’s loved him ever since first year, and that he only thinks of him as a friend, and that’s you’re the only person who knows and that he obviously doesn’t care if I tell the whole school that he’s a fag, because all he cares about is Hiccup.”

“My God, he really did tell you.” Lauren said astonished. “Oh, and tell anyone else about his secret, I will personally cut your balls off and strangle you with it.” There was nothing in her voice that said that she was kidding. I gulped, my eyes turning a highlighter-green type color.

“I wasn’t planning on it. Jack’s my friend.” I said.

“Did your eyes just change color?” Lauren said.

“Trick of the light,” I dismissed. I wanted to talk about Jack’s secret, not my own.

“No, I’m pretty sure your eyes change color. What are you, a Metamorphagus?” She asked. I hung my head and slapped my forehead.

“Dammit, you found me out.” I said. “Yeah, I’m a Metamorphagus. I have a hard time controlling it sometimes.” Well, that cat’s out of the bag.

“Why would you want to control it?” Lauren said, shocked. “It’s awesome!”

“People would want me to do faces for them, and I’m not exactly an entertainer…” I said, rubbing my neck.

“Well, I won’t say anything, but you can let your guard down around me okay? I’ve seen lots of funny faces, I’m sure yours won’t even make the list.” Lauren said. I smiled, letting go of all my control.

My hair turned black, with red at the tips. My eyes were yellow, and I probably had on some heavy eyeliner, or what looked like it anyway.

“Wow. That was I total 180 flip.” Lauren said.

“Ha, well…” I said laughing. “Back to seriousness though. I’m worried for Jack.”

“I’m worried for _both_ of them.” Lauren said.

“What do you mean?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.

“Well, Jack and Hiccup like each other… ever since first year.” Lauren said.

“What? And they don’t know?” I asked. That’s not right! Why can’t they just go up to each other and freaking ask? Well, I guess it would be hard if you don’t know if the person swings that way, or if they like you back…

“Nope. They just started talking this year. I actually just met them.” Lauren confessed.  “But what makes you worried about Jack?”

“Well, just yesterday he ran into our room crying like he had his heart ripped out. I’m afraid he’ll go suicidal if we don’t do something.” I said, explaining my concern.

“Hiccup’s ben acting like that too, not crying technically, but they’ve been acting weird…” Lauren said, deep in thought.

“We should do something.” I said suddenly. Lauren snapped her head to look at me, eyes wide. “Something that can get them together, you know?”

“HOW COME I NEVER THOUGHT OF SOMETHING LIKE THAT BEFORE?!” Lauren said loudly making me jump. “That’s perfect, Xavier, you are a genius!”

“Um… how exactly?” I asked, confused.

“I have a plan.” She said, I nodded for her to go on. “You get Jack to say all the things he likes about Hiccup. And make sure you write them down! I’ll do the same with Hiccup.”

“Then what?” I asked. Lauren picked up her book bag, put a hand on my shoulder and kissed my cheek.

“Then leave it to me.” She said with a smile. Then she walked off. I was thoroughly confused. Why did she kiss my cheek? Does she do that to everyone? Was it really necessary?

“Okay then.” I said, willing my looks to be back to normal. I got up and left.

* * *

 “Hiccup…” Jack whined.

“Jack…” Hiccup said, mimicking him from his side of the table, not even looking up.

“I’m bored…” Jack said, whining still.

“Aren’t you always?” Hiccup sighed, looking up. Jack was giving him puppy-dog eyes, his lower lip sticking out slightly. Hiccup had to laugh.

“That’s beside the point. Homework’s a bust. Let’s do something!” Jack said, sitting up a little straighter. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

“This is doing something…” Hiccup said, smartly. Jack scoffed.

“Nerd.” He deadpanned. He flew out of his seat and walked over to Hiccup. He was poking his side, his cheek, his arm. “Stop. Doing. Homework. You. Bum.” Jack emphasized every word with a poke, causing Hiccup to squirm. Hiccup was trying to write something, but Jack continued to poke.

“Fine! Just let me…” Hiccup said, still getting poked by a laughing Jack. “There! Gods, stop poking me!” The smaller boy said, swatting Jack’s hands away. Hiccup stood up, making the difference in their height noticeable. “So what do you want to do?” Hiccup asked.

Jack bit the inside of his lip. What he wanted to do was something that would never happen so… “I want you to take me on a ride on Toothless!” Jack said, thinking of the most outrageous thing he could think of.

“Are you crazy?” Hiccup said, grabbing Jack’s shoulders and shaking him. “It’s dangerous and to be honest, I don’t think Toothless likes you all that well.”

“That’s why.” Jack said simply. He raised his eyebrows and put on a confident smirk as he moved closer to Hiccup’s face. “It’s dangerous, and it’ll be fun.”

“Oh, so you’re a danger-junkie now?” Hiccup deadpanned, dropping his hands from Jack’s shoulders and folding them across his chest.

Jack’s breathing hitched a little when he noticed what the hell he was doing. Why was he torturing himself more than he had to? But it felt… _right_.

“I’ve always been a danger-junkie. You’ve just never known it until now.” Jack replied.

“Oh yeah sure. Whatever.” Hiccup said. What was he doing? Why was he letting this happen? Hiccup knew this was never going to work, but here he was, succumbing to desire as he let himself move closer to Jack. With a shuddering breath, Hiccup looked into clear blue eyes and moved away quickly, instantly missing the closeness of Jack.

“So…” Hiccup said, raking a hand through his long, auburn hair. “A ride on Toothless, huh?” He asked. “Understandable.”

“You can’t be serious.” Jack said in disbelief, coming out of his overdose of Hiccup. The smaller teen was putting all his stuff in his bag, and he looked over at Jack with a smile.

“I can be whatever I want to be, and you have no say in it, Frosty.” Hiccup said jokingly. “But, yes, I’m serious.” He flung his backpack on his shoulder and looked at Jack expectantly. “Well?”

“I still don’t believe you.” Jack said, in disbelief.

“I guess I’ll go fly Toothless myself then…” Hiccup sang walking past Jack.

“Nonononono! Wait up, Freckles! I’m coming, just hold on!” Jack said, running to the table. He shoved everything into his rucksack and dashed over to Hiccup.

“I thought so…” Hiccup said with a smug smile.

“Whatever…” Jack said, slightly embarrassed. “You and your smugness…”

Hiccup just rolled his eyes and laughed. The two walked to the Ravenclaw common room, and Hiccup told Jack to stay outside. Jack complied, but was really tempted to follow him in.

Hiccup came out a minute later, carrying Toothless in his arms. He was murmuring softly to the cat.

“So, you’re a cat whisperer now?” Jack asked, laughing. The cat glared at him, and Jack held up his hands in defense. “Sorry. _Dragon_ whisperer, I mean dragon whisperer.”

The cat nodded slightly and jumped out of Hiccup’s arms. It was jet-black, and missing a chunk of its tail, Jack noticed. It walked circles around Jack, and he felt like prey. He looked at the cat with uncertainty.

“What is he doing?” Jack said, a hint of panic in his voice.

“Probably just checking you out.” Hiccup said, shrugging. “You’re just lucky he’s not doing this as a dragon. You would be on the floor.”

“How would you know?” The white-haired teen said.

“It’s happened before.” Hiccup responded, shrugging again. “You done, Toothless?” He asked the cat.

Toothless looked up at Jack with his acid green eyes. He then stood up on his hind legs and pawed at Jack’s knees. Jack took that as “ _come down to my level_ ,” and he kneeled next to the cat. Toothless then looked into Jack’s blue eyes and did something that seriously freaked Jack out: he sent a mental message.

“ _I know you like Hiccup. I see the way he looks at you. If you fucking hurt him, I swear you will be my next meal_.”

Jack stared at the cat, wide-eyed and shaking. He just heard a low, guttural voice in his head say that it will eat him if he hurts Hiccup. Jack took a shaky breath and nodded. Toothless broke the eye-contact and looked at Hiccup innocently. Jack stood up, happy that he was steady on his two feet.

“Okay, we have to chill for a while, but I think it’ll be safe if we set off around dinner time.” Hiccup said.

“Cool with me.” Jack said, thankful that his voice didn’t shake. They walked outside, Toothless trailing behind them. They sat down on a hill until it was dinner.

Hiccup pulled on his flight gear, and did a spell on Toothless, turning him into a dragon. Toothless regarded Jack with a wary eye, but did nothing else.

“Oh, um… Jack come here a minute.” Hiccup said.

“Sure,” Jack said, walking over. “’Sup, Freckles?”

“Give this to Toothless.” Hiccup said, handing Jack a raw fish. “Please.” Jack just stared at the fish in his hand.

“He will destroy me, I hope you know that.” Jack said.

“Just do it!” Hiccup snapped playfully.

“Fine, fine.” Jack said, walking over to Toothless. “Here, Toothless.” He sang, holding the fish as far away from his person than possible. Toothless looked at it and walked over to Jack, jaw open. Jack saw the gummy inside of Toothless’ mouth.

“Huh, toothless.” Jack said, finally getting Hiccup’s name for the dragon. As soon as the thought passed his mind, though, the dragon suddenly had razor-sharp teeth and it snapped at the fish, eating it whole. “ACK!” Jack said in surprise, falling on his butt.

Toothless made a sound that resembled laughing, and walked over to Jack. “Uh…” the white-haired boy said. Toothless licked his face slowly, rubbing it in. “Ewww…” Jack whined.

“Haha! He got you!” Hiccup said. Toothless made the laughing sound again. Jack glared at the two of them.

“You planned this didn’t you?” Jack deadpanned. Hiccup hooked Toothless up to a leather saddle and a fake tail.

“Maybe.” Hiccup said. “Well, ready to go?”

“Yes!” Jack said, getting up and running over. Hiccup jumped on Toothless with an undeniable grace that he didn’t have anywhere else. He held out his hand to Jack and helped him on.

“You um… might need to hold on.” Hiccup advised as he settled into a take-off stance.

“Hold on to wha-AAAAAAAAH!” Jack started saying, and then they were off the ground. His last word involuntarily turned into a scream. Hiccup was laughing. Jack wrapped his arms around his chest and buried his head in Hiccup’s shoulder.

“I tried telling you.” Hiccup said, an air of giddiness in his voice.

Jack took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

“Wow…” Jack said. His arms slid down Hiccup’s chest and down to his waist, making the dragon rider blush. “It’s beautiful up here!”

“Yeah…” Hiccup said, trying to suppress the shudders of joy that racked his body at Jack’s touch. “Mind if we do some tricks?” He said. Some spins and flips would definitely take his mind of this.

“Go for it,” Jack said with an excited smirk on his face. He scooted himself closer to Hiccup and tightened his grip on him. _This is only so that I won’t fall off_ , Jack thought.

Hiccup looked down at Toothless, who was looking at him. He petted the dragon’s head for a second before flicking his ankle, sending them into a dive.

“WOOOOO HOOO!” Jack yelled. Hiccup had to smile. Within two seconds, then were soaring upwards, spinning in tight spirals. “AAAH!” Jack screamed.

“Wooooooo!” Hiccup said, howling like a rabid wolf. The tricks stopped and they were just coasting now, the sky above them a dark blue with stars sparkling furiously.

“That was awesome!” Jack said, resting his head on Hiccup’s shoulder. The blush that spread across Hiccup’s face went to his ears, and he prayed that his heart would stop making attempts to beat out of his chest.

“You think so?” Hiccup said.

“That was the most fun I’ve had in… forever, actually.” Jack said, his breath hot against Hiccup’s neck. Hiccup suppressed yet another shudder of pleasure.  

“Forever’s a long time,” Hiccup noted, sarcasm dripping off his words.

“No shit, Sherlock.” Jack said. He was super close this time around; when he talked, his lips actually grazed Hiccup’s neck. Hiccup stifled a moan.

“We should, ah… probably start heading back… to the castle.” Hiccup said, already flicking his ankle and maneuvering Toothless into a dive. “After all, we got classes in the morning.”

“Don’t bring up class. It ruins the fun.” Jack said. “But, if you insist, Dragon Boy.”

“Oh great,” Hiccup said as the landed. “I got another nickname, Toothless.” He hopped off Toothless, again with a grace he never possessed before, breaking Jack’s hold on him. He told himself that he didn’t want to be in those arms again, but that was obviously a lie.

“Yeah, I can’t really call you that though, can I?” Jack said, sliding off Toothless with much less grace than Hiccup. “People would start to wonder why I’m calling you that.”

“I think it would be best if you stuck with Freckles,” Hiccup said, never going to admit that he liked the nickname. “I wouldn’t want any attention on me… you know, more than I do already.” Hiccup looked at Jack thoughtfully, and Jack returned the look.

Hiccup waved his wand and muttered an incantation, and Toothless-the-cat was standing before them, trapped under the saddle and in the fake tail contraption.

Hiccup and Jack both helped untangled the cat and Hiccup shoved everything back into his backpack, which was still on the floor where they left it. The two boys lit their wands and walked back to the castle, Toothless following them and their hands bumping against each other.

Once in the castle, the put away their wands, but they didn’t say a word. They kept walking until they had to part ways. They each opened their mouths to say something, and then closed it when they saw the others’ intention. They both laughed.

Jack wasted no time and he hugged Hiccup tightly. Hiccup hesitated, but only for a fraction of a second, and that was more out of shock than anything, though. Hiccup wrapped his arms around Jack’s neck and closed his eyes, savoring the feel of _Jack_.

“Thanks for the ride, Freckles.” Jack said in a low voice. “It was really fun.”

“I’m glad I didn’t disappoint you, seeing how that’s your middle name.” Hiccup mumbled sarcastically. Jack liked the way Hiccup’s breath tickled his neck, but they were just friends…

Jack was tired of lying to himself. Hiccup was not just a friend to him. He was more. He might not be the same to Hiccup, and Jack was okay with that. If Hiccup was happy then so was he. Jack would not jeopardize this friendship that they had, even if Jack wanted more.

Jack let go, and so did Hiccup. They were both smiling like idiots.

“So… see you in the morning?” Jack said.

“Bright and early!” Hiccup chimed. “Night, Jack.”

“Night, Hiccup.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick Note: Metamorphagus (metamorphagi?) is a part of the Harry Potter world, so I didn't create them at all (nor did i create basically everything that's remotely magical, except a select few spells and such!)  
> Thank you for reading!


	11. Living or Existing

Chapter Eleven: Living or Existing

** Jack’s P.O.V **

I walked into my common room in a daze. I really did just fly on a dragon, with Hiccup in my arms. Yes, I did get a death threat from said dragon if I hurt said boy. Yes, I did skip dinner and I was incredibly hungry. But it didn’t hurt my good mood.

“Jack!” Xavier said, standing up from his position on a comfortable crimson armchair. “God, I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I was just... out.” I said, choosing my words carefully.

“Out, huh?” Xavier asked, his eyes half-lidded as he walked toward me. “Do I need to ask with who, or can I assume?”

“Neither.” I replied. “You can do neither.” I knew this was all for fun, but something was up…

“I’ll take that as a ‘ _yes, you can assume_.’ You were out with Hiccup, weren’t you?” Xavier said, finishing with a smug little smile. I deflated, exhaling sharply and slouching where I stood. I couldn’t hide anything from this guy now.

“Yes!” I groaned, none too loudly so that everyone could hear, but loud enough. Xavier smiled wider, if that was even possible, and started poking me.

“Tell me!” He said. “Tell me everything!”

“Stop it!” I said swatting him away. ‘ _God, now I know how Hiccup feels_ ,’ I thought. “I think you are getting way too involved with my love life.” I shot at him, my eyes narrow.

“It’s hardly a love life,” Xavier said laughing. “And I’m your best friend. You’re supposed to tell me these things!” Gosh, he was acting like _such_ a _girl_!

“True.” I said. “Oh the laws of friendship must hate me!” I sighed, overdramatically.

“Tell me now!” Xavier said.

“Fine, fine.” I sighed and sat down on the couch. Xavier sat next to me, a little too eager, even for him. “We were doing our homework, and then we decided to go out. Hiccup got his cat Toothless and we just hung out… outside. For a while.”

“Anything… _romantic_ happen?” Xavier said.

I blushed instantly, remembering me clinging onto his waist for dear life. “No, not really,” I said, hoping that I lied convincingly. “Why are you so happy right now?” I asked, trying to get the subject off of me, and besides, Xavier was acting a little strange.

“I met someone.” He said, suppressing a dopey smile, but there was no hiding the love-sick tone in his voice.

“Now you _have_ to spill.” I said, turning to him expectantly. “Who is it?” I asked.

“You are _seriously_ going to kill me.” He said, his voice grave but the smile never really leaving his lips.

“Just tell me!” I said, pushing his shoulder.

“Lauren.” He blurted out.

“Lauren?” I said, laughing a little. “ _Lauren_. Really?”

“Yes really!” Xavier said. “I just started to talk to her, same friends you know? And she’s really nice and you’re right, she’s super easy to talk to. And she’s _really_ pretty.” He was trying to talk slowly, I could tell, but he couldn’t help talking fast.

“You act like you’ve never had a crush before.” I pointed out.

“I have had a crush before, but… she’s different, you know?” Xavier said, knowing that I had to say ‘yes’.

“I know what you mean…” I said quietly, looking into the dwindling flames in the fireplace.

“So… what do you like about Hiccup?” Xavier asked suddenly, catching me a little off guard.

“What?” I said, a little confused.

“What do you like about him?” He repeated. “What made you like him?”

“Well…” I said, thinking about the first time I saw him. “His clumsiness is cute. And his face is just plain adorable.”

“His face?” Xavier asked.

“Yeah, you’ve seen him!” I said. “Oh my god, his eyes… I could be lost in them forever. His nose is so cute! His crooked little smile is amazing! His hair is perfect and it looks so soft! And his freckles! _Oh my fucking GOD_ , his freckles! I swear you could find constellations in his freckles! They aren’t just on his face either! They’re like, on his shoulders and his chest…” Oops, a little too far there.

“Whoa whoa whoa, you’ve seen him without a shirt on?” Xavier asked, eyes wide.

“It was an accident… I walked in on him changing on the way here, on the train…” I said, muttering.

“That’s why you ditched me!” Xavier exclaimed. “You don’t regret it, do you?”

“ _Hell no_!” I said. “Back to your question… his personality is awesome. His sarcasm kills, and he’s really smart, and he’s really sweet to… to his cat.” Damn, I was about to say ‘his dragon’.

“Wow. So you like him for more than just looks? Surprising.” Xavier said, nodding.

“What do you mean ‘surprising’?” I shot.

“You just seem like the kind of person who would like someone for their looks.” Xavier said shrugging. “But I guess you’re deeper than a kiddie pool.”

I punched him in the arm.

“Of course I’m deeper than a kiddie pool! I’ve liked his scrawny ass since first year!” I said.

“I know! I know! Damn, no need to get all physical on me, I was just saying…” Xavier said, trailing off when I shot him a look. “Oh look at the time. We should really get to bed!”

“Yeah, be afraid.” I said, as he shot up and ran to his room. I pulled my wand out with a flourish and shot an ice spell at him, covering his arm with frost with a fern-like pattern.

“Agh! Jaack!” He whined quietly.

“Got you!” I sang, as I ran upstairs to my room. I got some dreaming to do… particularly about some auburn haired kid that I know…

* * *

 

** Hiccup’s P.O.V   **

I couldn’t help a smile from spreading across my face as I walked to the winding staircase that led to my common room. Tonight was fun. I was literally on cloud nine.

“Hiccup?” A voice said. I looked and Lauren was standing right in front of me. “Hiccup!” She threw herself at me and gave me a huge hug. She was a bit overly excited, even for her. “Where were you? I’ve been looking everywhere…!”

“You sound like an overbearing girlfriend right now.” I said laughing. “What’s up with you?”

“I met this guy…” She started off shyly.

“A guy, huh?” I asked, looking at her curiously. “Who?”

“He’s a friend of Jack’s. His name is Xavier.” Lauren said. I could tell that, even in the dark lighting, a blush was creeping over her face.

“I’ve heard about him.” I said, motioning for her to go on.

“He’s really nice, and we started talking and… and I think I like him.” Lauren said, a dopy smile stretched all over her face.

“You think?” I prompted.

“Yeah, I mean… he’s really cool, and he’s like an evil mastermind I swear! And… I kissed him on the cheek.” She said, burying her face in her hands.

“Making a move already, I see…” I said jokingly.

“This isn’t a joke, Hiccup! This is serious!” She said, looking at me.

“If anything, he’ll like you back. You have nothing to worry about. I, on the other hand… am screwed.” I sighed.

“Were you with Jack?” Lauren said, seeing right through me. I grimaced and nodded. “Tell me everything.” She said enthusiastically.

“Nothing really… happened.” I said, trying not to think about his strong arms wrapped around my waist and his hot breath on my neck. “We were just hanging out, the three of us. Toothless came along too, see?” I said, and on cue Toothless hopped into my arms.

“Hey Toothless…” Lauren cooed as she petted the cat in my arms. “So you three just… hung out?”

“Yeah… it was pretty fun.” I replied.

“What do you like about him?” Lauren asked suddenly. Again, if there would have been anything in my mouth, I would have spit it out.

“Huh?”

“What do you like about him?” She repeated, looking at me with expectant eyes.

“I-I don’t know…” I said. “His hair is interesting, for one thing.”

“Come on Hiccup!” Lauren said. “What do you really like about him? None of this ‘ _well, um_ …’ crap. I know you like him for a reason.”

“Fine…” I said, sighing. I cannot believe I’m about to say everything out loud. “His hair is really wild and it looks super-hot. And oh gods, his eyes are so blue I could swim in them! His smile is so perfect, and it makes me melt every single time because he’s directing something so beautiful at me!” I said, sighing. “He’s really funny and sarcastic and… cold. But he’s warm… it’s weird. And he acts like he doesn’t care about a lot of things, but I know he does. And his short attention span is hot too.”

Okay, that’s enough. I’m not saying any more.

“Awww…” Lauren cooed, pinching my cheek lightly. I smiled, and screwed up my face. “Get to bed, lover boy. We got classes in the morning.”

“You too, Mrs. Xavier.” I said dreamily, mocking her. She stuck her tongue out at me and gave Toothless one last scratch behind his ear. “Good night Lauren.”

“Good night Hiccup.” She replied, and then she was racing down the corridor, probably trying to get to her own common room before curfew.

I sighed and climbed the winding staircase. I stood in front of the Ravenclaw common room entrance. I reached out and clunked the raven knocker twice.  

“ _What is the difference between living and existing_?” The raven on the knocker said. I thought about this for a moment.

“Existing is being on this earth, and living is something worth-while during the time on this earth.” I said finally.

“ _Interesting_.” The raven said, it’s voice seemingly deep in thought. The door swung open and I climbed inside.

I climbed to my room and set Toothless down. I looked out my window really quick, and saw the moon in all its beauty. I sighed quickly, pulling off my clothes and replacing them with pajamas. I climbed into bed and fell asleep…

Not before asking myself a question, though.

“ _Am I living or existing_?”


	12. Sharing A Dream

Chapter Twelve: Sharing a Dream

_Hiccup and Jack were sitting on the dock of the Black Lake, their feet dangling off the edge and their hands placed close together. They were both staring out into the Kraken-and-mermaid-invested water._

_“Jack… I got to tell you something.” Hiccup said, looking at his dangling feet at first, then shifting his attention to Jack. Jack was smiling at Hiccup._

_“Tell me what, Freckles?” Jack said. Hiccup bit his lip nervously and looked away. “Hiccup…?” Jack asked, touching Hiccup’s shoulder lightly._

_“I… I like you.” Hiccup blurted out. “Like, a lot.” Jack stared at Hiccup, wide-eyed and hoping that he had heard correctly. “Jack?” Hiccup inquired. “Say something…”_

_“Hiccup, you-” Jack started to say, when Hiccup stood up._

_“I-I should go. I’m sorry.” Hiccup said and was about to walk away. Jack was on his feet too, grabbing Hiccup’s shoulder and spinning him around to face Jack._

_“I like you too…” Jack said with a sincere smirk._

_“You-you do?” Hiccup asked shakily, looking uncertainly into Jack’s ice-blue eyes._

_“Yeah…” Jack breathed, snaking his arms around Hiccup’s waist and pulling him close._

_Their faces crashed together in a harsh kiss, noses bumping, lips moving clumsily, limbs not sure what to do. They broke apart slightly, foreheads resting together, as they gasped for breath. Hiccup and Jack were laughing lightly. Hiccup wrapped his arms around Jack’s neck and pulled him close, initiating another kiss._

_The second kiss was a lot better than the first. Their lips moved in sync. Hiccup’s fingers played with Jack’s snow-soft white hair, while Jack’s were roaming around Hiccup’s hips and lower back. Hiccup pulled Jack closer to him, deepening the kiss, while Jack pulled Hiccup closer, their groins grinding together harshly._

_Hiccup moaned into the kiss. “Jack…”_

_“Hiccup~” Jack said, smiling. The kiss broke, and they looked at each other, breathing harshly. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that.” Jack said, laughing._

_“Oh yeah?” Hiccup said, a mischeivous smile gracing his red lips. “If you tell me, then maybe I’ll know.”_

_“That doesn’t make sense, Freckles.” Jack said. “That’s a first for you.”_

_“That’s just the effect you have on me, Frosty.” Hiccup said, pulling Jack into another kiss. Jack complied eagerly, sliding his tongue into Hiccup’s mouth smoothly._

* * *

** Hiccup’s P.O.V  **

I sat up like a lightning bolt, breathing hard and my heart beating loudly in my chest. I grabbed my wand and spun into around my fingers, showing me the time.

7:09

That dream… oh my gods, that dream! I flung myself back onto the pillow, grabbing handfuls of my hair and pulling it. I could practically feel Jack’s lips on mine…! It all seemed so real!

I couldn’t stay in bed, I was freaking out. I ran to the shower, towel and clothes in hand. The hot water helped me calm down a little, I was grateful for it. I stood there for a second, letting the water fall on my face. Then I shut the water off.

Drying off and pulling on my clothes, I walked back into my room. Toothless looked at me expectantly, and I sighed.

“Okay, okay. Fine, we’ll go get some breakfast,” I said quietly, not wanting to wake up my sleeping roommates. I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my left shoulder. I jerked my head at the cat and I walked out of the room, Toothless at my heels. I twirled my wand in between my fingers as I walked through the common room and out the door.

“ _Don’t think about that dream… Gods damn it, now I’m thinking about it_.” I thought. Despite my best efforts, a smile broke out across my face. If I could relive that dream over and over again, I wouldn’t complain. Ever.

“Hiccup!” Someone said down the hall. Upon inspection, I found Lauren looking at me and waving. I jogged the distance between us.

“Morning Lauren!” I said, a bit too chirpily. She was dressed in her school robes, her scarf wrapped loosely around her skinny neck. Her hair was flowing down her back with braids here and there, as usual. Her eyes looked green in the lighting, and they looked brighter than usual.

“Morning!” She said. She bent down and petted Toothless once behind his ear. “Why are you up so early?” She asked, pushing her hair out of her face.

“You know, just woke up.” I said lamely. She looked at me weirdly, but thankfully let the subject drop.

“Okay then. Heading to the Great Hall?” Lauren asked. I nodded, and we started for the Hall.

* * *

** Jack’s P.O.V  **

I jolted upright, breathing harshly. I just had the best dream and the whole entire world, and it just happened to be on a school day, and I had to see the subject of my dream all day! Oh Lord, I sure am screwed.

I looked at a clock in the corner of the room.

7:09

Great. I got up and stretched a little, then took a shower. I dried myself off and got dressed. Then I flopped back in my bed and thought about my dream.

I could still feel Hiccup. He was so close, he was kissing me, he was moaning my name, he was clinging onto me desperately… I breathing turned ragged and all my thoughts slammed into a halt. I cannot get myself aroused before school. That’ll all be bad.

I slid off my bed and collapsed onto the floor. Why, oh why couldn’t that dream be a reality? Everything would have been so much better if it was!

“Jack? What are you doing?” Xavier asked sleepily. He rubbed his eyes and tried to fix his bed head.

“Nothing, just chilling on the floor.” I replied nonchalantly. “Did I wake you up?” I asked. Xavier liked his sleep, and he kind of got mad when someone ruined it for him.

“Nah, I’ve been up for a while.” He replied. “You moan in your sleep, you know that?” He said. My eyes went wide and my cheeks went red.

“No, I didn’t. But thank you for informing me.” I said, getting up off the floor. “I’m going to head down for breakfast.”

“Wait! Let me get dressed and we can go together.” Xavier said, flying out of bed. He pulled on his uniform and his shoes. He walked over to a mirror and tried to fix his hair, only to be successful.

“I hate how your hair bends to your every will.” I said enviously. “All my hair can do is stick up and be stubborn.”

“Calm down,” Xavier said, laughing. “You’re hair looks fine. I’m sure Hiccy _loves_ it.” Woah woah woah woah woah. What?

“What did you just call him?” I asked, stunned.

“Hiccy. Why?” Xavier said, totally innocent. I shot him a glare.

“Nothing, nothing,” I said airily.

“That’s what you want to give him, huh?” Xavier said with a devilish smile. No, for reals, his teeth _actually_ looked pointy, and his eyes looked red!

“Woah, what? I don’t want to give him a hickey…” I said, not very convincingly. Xavier gave me a knowing look and I blushed. “Just shut up.” I said moodily as I picked up my bag and walked out of the room. He followed me laughing.

“Well, now I know what you were dreaming about.” He said, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. I shot him a death glare that obviously didn’t work, because he was holding onto my shoulder to help him not fall over.

“J-j-just s-shut up. Just shut up.” I said.

We walked to the Great Hall, Xavier sobering up quickly when he saw who was in there: Lauren, Hiccup and Toothless were sitting at a table, eating already.

“Ooooh, Xavier!” I said, nudging his stomach roughly with my elbow. He visibly turned an unsightly shade of red. He quickly composed himself.

“Ooooh, Jack!” He said back, nudging me the same way. It didn’t have the same effect with me, and I just laughed.

“C’mon,” I said, walking over. Xavier seized my arm and pulled me back. There was a scared look in his eyes.

“No! C’mon Jack, don’t make me go over there!” Xavier breathed. I just smiled at him.

“What’s the fun in that?” I asked, smirking. “It’s time to face your fears, X! Besides, we’re both hungry. Let’s go.” Xavier groaned, but he followed me this time.

“Morning, guys!” Lauren said happily.

“Good morrow, Lady Lauren and Baron Hiccup!” I said, putting on my cheesiest accent possible. “May we sit here with you?”

“Of course you may, good sir!” Hiccup said, mimicking my accent. Xavier and I plopped down on the opposite side of the two.

“Oh, Hiccup, this is Xavier. Xavier, Hiccup.” I said, and I had to admit that I sucked at introductions. Hiccup smiled though, and it sent butterflies through my whole being.

“You’re in Potions class with us, aren’t you?” Hiccup said, already nodding to answer his own question. “I recognized you. Oh, and this is Lauren.” He said, putting a hand on Lauren shoulder.

“We’ve met.” Lauren and Xavier mumbled at the same time. Both of them blushed and looked at the table. Suddenly, Lauren perked up and reached under the table.

“This adorable little cutie is Toothless!” She said to Xavier. Wrong move. Totally wrong; Xavier absolutely went crazy for animals.

“Oh my gosh!” He said reaching out his hands to hold Toothless. Lauren passed him over the table to Xavier, who immediately cuddled Toothless. “Well, aren’t you a sweetie?” He said in a baby voice. I looked at Hiccup, who had a smile on his face.

“Toothless doesn’t usually like people…” Hiccup said, “Consider yourself lucky.” Xavier cooed at Toothless again, flipping the cat and rubbed his belly.

“Yeah, I had to go through dagger-stares and a whole initiation thing!” I said, making Lauren laugh. “It’s true! Ask Hiccup!”

“That day,” Hiccup said, his smile basically splitting his face in half, “was pretty fun.”

Oh right, the day of the creepy Toothless-speaking-in-my-head experience was the day we went flying. I smiled too.

Welp, I have to go to class. Can you believe I have to walk halfway across the castle this early in the morning?” Lauren said, standing up to leave. Xavier rubbed Toothless behind the ear for a final time before handing him to Hiccup.

“I’ll walk you there.” He said, standing up too. “I have to head that way anyway.”

Lies. Xavier had Charms first class, nowhere near Lauren’s class.

“Okay!” Lauren said happily. “See you around, guys!” They walked out of the Great Hall together, talking about things I couldn’t care less about. Once they passed through the gigantic doors, Hiccup and I burst into laughter.

“Wait… wait… why are you laughing?” Hiccup said, placing Toothless on the floor. The cat walked up to my feet and started rubbing the length of his body around my ankles.

“Xavier likes her,” I said, shrugging. Hiccup’s mouth popped open in a perfect ‘O’.

“Lauren likes him too,” He said. I laughed again. “Should we say something to them?” He asked.

“Nah, let them figure it out.’ I said, waving it off. “That’s _marvelously_ ironic though, isn’t it?”

“I’ll say,” Hiccup mumbled. “So how’d you sleep?” He asked. I froze for a fraction of a second, then I regained my composure.

“Good, I had a really weird dream though.” I said, mentally smacking myself. “You?”

“Oddly enough, I had a weird dream too,” Hiccup said. “But it was a good kind of weird, you know?”

“Exactly!” I said, “That’s just a little bit freaky, you know, us both having a weird dream and all.” I turned a little red, heat swarming to my face, and coincidentally, Hiccup was turning red too.

“Yeah, that is just a bit weird…” Hiccup biting his lower lip. _Don’t do that. Freckles, it’s too cute_! I couldn’t tell him to stop, so I just looked at him.

Toothless jumped onto the bench I was sitting on, looking at me severely. “ _Remember what I said: Break his heart and you die. I’ll put up with your shit, Jack Frost, but only because you’re with Hiccup. It doesn’t mean I have to like you_.” My eyes widened as I looked at the innocent looking cat. I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat.

“I get it, I get it! Geez, why do you always have to do that?” I said, scratching Toothless’ head affectionately. _I must not piss off the dragon-cat_!

“And you call me the cat whisperer.” Hiccup said rolling his eyes.

“Your ‘cat,’” I said, using finger quotations, “is weird. Do you ever hear his voice in your head?” Hiccup looked at me like I was the craziest person in the world.

“Are you sure you aren’t shroomin’ or something?” Hiccup said, squinting his eyes at me. He walked around the table and pressed the back of his hand to my forehead. I had to bite back a moan. _Stupid dream_ …

“No, I am not shroomin’. Your cat just talked to me.” I said. Hiccup started to move his hand around, pressing it against the side of my face now.

“Are you always this cold? You might be sick or something, because there is no way that you legitimately heard a ‘cat’ talk in your head.” Hiccup said, probably finding this funny as a dorky smile spread across his face.

“I’m not sick!” I said, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him slightly. “Your cat just talked to me!” I shot a look at Toothless, a grin evident on the cat’s face. He enjoyed making me look like an imbecile. “Just… argh, never mind. Your cat is evil.”

“I will not contradict you on that one.” Hiccup said. Toothless shot Hiccup a sassy look. “Well, he has his moments.”

“Cats are just like women,” I scoffed, rolling my eyes. Hiccup laughed, gripping my shoulder as he doubled over in his seat.

“You did not just say that!” Hiccup gasped. I had to smile.

“Yes, I did. We should get to class.” I said, the bell ringing right after I said that. Hiccup nodded and we gathered up our things and went to class. Hiccup sent Toothless away outside to wander the grounds. Good, he needed a little exercise anyway.

“Aren’t you worried he’ll get lost?” I asked Hiccup. He laughed and shook his head.

“Nah, he comes running whenever I call him.” Hiccup said. I gave him a weird look. “It’s… another long story.”

“Class is boring.” I said shrugging. Hiccup laughed, just once.

“You think everything is boring.” He shot back.

“Not you.” I blurted out without thinking. Hiccup looked stunned for a moment, and I nearly sent my palm smacking to my forehead when a smile broke out on his face.

“Well, I feel the love.” He said sarcastically. “I don’t know if I should be flattered by that comment, or weirdly creeped out.” I started laughing.

“You should feel flattered, you dummy.” I said, tousling his hair. He fixed it immediately, swatting my shoulder afterward.

“Fine, flattered it is.” Hiccup said. “You don’t bore me either, if that makes a difference.” He added, talking to the floor with a lightly smile on his face.

“It doesn’t, actually.” I said. Hiccup looked at me, green eyes wide with shock and begging me for an explanation. “I’m Jack ‘Fun’ Frost. I bore absolutely no one!” This sent Hiccup laughing again, and I was laughing too. What can I say? His laugh is contagious! And slightly addicting… is that why I make him laugh all the time?

“You’re ego bores me to death, Jack.” He said, trying to breath. “Tone it down a bit.” I was holding him up, because I could tell he was about to fall on the floor at any moment, he was laughing that hard. 

“You know you enjoy my vanity.” I said, my voice lower than I intended. Oops… Hiccup just rolled his eyes at me, and chuckled.

“Whatever floats your boat, Jack. _Whatever_ floats your boat.” Hiccup said, practically singing it. We walked into the Transfiguration classroom and took our seats.

* * *

**... **

* * *

 

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

The final bell rang and we all skipped out of Bunnymund’s class with ease. Strangely, there was no homework today. I wondered if the teachers were going to bombard us with homework tomorrow… And then Jack hit my shoulder.

“Dude!” He said. “Earth to Hiccup!” I rubbed my shoulder with a pained expression.

“Ow.” I said blandly. “You don’t have to go around hitting people, you know? Violence is wrong.” My dream has been replaying in my head all day, and it’s been driving me insane. I usually don’t remember my dreams, and this just happened to be the one dream I would love to forget, but _nooooo_ … it’s stuck in my head for forever and all eternity.

“Whatever,” Jack said, smiling at me. I had to smile back. Not smiling back is like, a federal crime or something. “So what do you want to do? There’s no homework~” He sang the last part. I laughed. Jack thinks he can sing, but he can’t. I don’t mind it though… haha you know why…

“I don’t know,” I said, sighing.

“Hey guys!” Lauren screeched from down the hall. Jack and I both looked in her direction, only to see her and Xavier holding hands and striding confidently towards us.

“’Sup, Lauren. Hey X.” Jack said, smiling at the two of them. He gave me a sly smirk and I snorted.

“Hey.” I said lamely. Lauren gave me an excited look, and I gave her a thumbs-up.

“We should all hang out at the dock of Black Lake!” Lauren said happily, their intertwined fingers swinging between them slightly.

“No!” I said, and another voice was mixed with mine. I looked at Jack, and we both turned identical shades of red. I worried my bottom lip while Jack rubbed the back of his neck, both of us looking away from one another.

“Geez, it was only a suggestion.” Xavier said sarcastically. “Hey, Hiccup, where’s Toothless?” He asked me. It snapped me out of my awkward daze.

“Toothless!” I said. “He’s outside somewhere. I should go get him.” I said, starting to retreat out the nearest exit.

“I’ll go with you!” Jack said hurriedly, following me.

“Alright then, I guess we’ll see you two… later?” Lauren said, waving her hand at us in farewell. After about three seconds I heard her screech “ _YES_!” only to be shushed by Xavier. Well, that’s not weird at all! (Sarcasm intended, do not take literally!)

“So how do you call him? Is it like a pig call or… what?” Jack said, trailing off when I shot him a look. He put up his hands in surrender, then stuffed them back inside his robe pockets.

“Hey Toothless!” I sang quietly, my hands cupping my mouth to make the sound louder than it actually was. In an instant, a bat cat was darting through the trees and rushing towards us, acid-green eyes bright and lively. Jack just looked at the cat, startled. “Hey bud…” I said, the cat jumping into my arms, and I caught him deftly.

“I am going to elaborate more on what I said this morning, your cat is seriously weird.” Jack said, shaking his head at me. I laughed and scratched Toothless behind his ears.

“I’m not going to argue with you anymore. You obviously seem bent in your ways.” I shot at him. Toothless purred and I smiled fondly at the cat.

“I’m a lot more bent than you know,” Jack said slyly. I shot him a weird look. What was he implying? “Kidding!” He said, rushed. “I was… just kidding. Calm down.”

“Okay, because I was like, ‘did he just say…?’” I said, mimicking my train of thought. Jack laughed.

“I was kidding! Gosh! I thought you would know me better than that!” Jack said, pushing my shoulder lightly. I laughed, shaking my head at him.

“I _do_ know you better than that!” I said, “It’s just that… I don’t know, some people are _really_ good at hiding things like that.”

“Oh, really?” Jack said, looking at me innocently. “And how do you know that? Hmm?” I rolled my eyes and set Toothless on the ground. The cat quickly weaved in between my ankles in a figure-eight, and then moved near Jack to bug him.

“There’s lots of people in the States that are like that.” I said simply. “Not necessarily me, but I know some people who… swing that way.” I ended awkwardly, clearing my throat.

“Yeah, um… different subject?” Jack said, looking as uncomfortable as I felt. How did we get on this anyway? My fingers raked my hair back.

“Please…” I said.

“So what do you think is better: brooms or Toothless?” Jack asked suddenly. I looked at him, my face screwed up in a smile that asked, “ _What type of a question is_ that?”

“What do you think?” I asked sarcastically. “Toothless. Hands-down.” Toothless looked at us with a new interest, because, of course, we were talking about him. Jack had to laugh.

“Yes, we are talking about you.” Jack cooed to the cat, dropping on his knees to lavish the black creature with affection. Toothless, not used to the treatment from Jack, let himself go limp as he stared at me, as if to say, “ _Help me_.” I laughed out loud. As much as Jack would love to contradict it, Toothless was loveable, but not exactly the most loving.

“I never thought I would see the day that Jack Frost would fondle a cat.” I said, sitting down next to the two. Jack was currently on his back, Toothless unwillingly on his stomach, as Jack petted him. I was seated at Jack’s head, and he turned and looked at me, blue eyes shining playfully.

“But look at him Hiccy…” Jack said in a baby voice. “Wook a’ da lil kitty cat…” Toothless looked at me again. If he was a human, he would be laughing right now. I laughed, no longer thinking the scene as cute.

“You did not just call me ‘Hiccy,’ did you?” I said, raising my eyebrows. Jack turned slightly pink. “I don’t think I need another nickname, especially from you, Jackie.”

“Jackie?!” Jack cried in indignation. He was sitting up, Toothless falling into his lap. “That’s no fair! That’s a girl name!” He shrieked. I looked at him, a challenging smirk lit up my face.

“And you think I want to be nicknamed after a love-bite?” I said. Jack’s slightly pink complexion turned into a burning red and I laughed. He opened his mouth and was started to stutter in response, when I pressed my hand on his face, shushing him. I removed my hand, only to reveal his flustered face. “Don’t call me Hiccy and I won’t call you Jackie. Deal?” I said, holding out my hand.

“Deal!” Jack said, making up for his embarrassment. He took my hand and we shook once, and let go. I actually wanted to hold his hand, but I knew I would never be able to bring myself to do it. Jack laid down again, and cuddled Toothless close.

“I’m afraid one day you’re going to steal my cat.” I mumbled, and Jack shot me a smile. It was so warm and genuine… I blushed, but I didn’t look anywhere else.

“I just might.” Jack said, messing with Toothless’ face. He started scratching Toothless, and then his fingers grazed his jaw bone.

“Jack don’t scratch him-!” I warned. Too late. Toothless collapsed onto Jack’s chest, asleep from pure euphoria from the scratch. “There.” I finished. Jack just stared at the cat, afraid to move. I wasn’t sure if he was breathing or not.

“What just happened?” Jack breathed out, probably scared out of his wits. “Did I just kill him?!”

“No! no…” I said, chuckling. “You hit one of his… don’t think wrong… you hit one of his sweet spots. He passed out when you scratch him there.” Jack burst out laughing, unable to hold it in. “I just said don’t think wrong!” I growled at him, laughing too.

“There was no thinking required to that one!” Jack said. “I cannot believe that came out of your mouth!”

“There’s no other way to explain it!” I said, trying to explain my reason for saying… well, _that_!

“Whatever you say, Freckles.” Jack said, laughing. “So what do you do with a passed-out cat?” He asked.

“Gee, I don’t know. I usually throw him in a corner and set him on fire until I can make a nice stew with him.” I said, sarcasm leaking through my voice and practically making a puddle on the floor.

“That’s some serious animal cruelty, Hiccup.” Jack said. “You could go to jail for that.”

“I wasn’t being serious.” I said, pulling the sleeping cat off of Jack’s chest. In doing so, my fingertips brushed Jack’s chest. I blushed and gathered Toothless securely in my arms. I stood up and fixed my bag on my shoulders. “Well, are you coming?” I asked.

“Where?” Jack said, propping himself up on my elbows. He looked incredibly sexy… _stopthinkingstopthinkingstopthinking_!!!

“I was going to take Sleeping Beauty to my common room and then we could hang out somewhere. Yeah?” I said, not trying to sound too desperate.

“Sure.” Jack said, getting up and slinging his rucksack over his shoulder in one fluid motion. “As long as you come with me to my common room so I can get out of these stupid clothes and not have to haul this thing around.”

“It’s agreed, then.” I said, walking into the castle, Toothless in my arms, snoring softly, and Jack at my side. 

* * *

 

** Jack’s P.O.V **

Needless to say, the walk over to the Ravenclaw common room was pretty boring. I don’t know what possessed me to be so nice to Toothless. Maybe it was because Freckles loved him so much… aw well, whatever.

“I’ll be right back,” Hiccup said, rushing up the spiraling staircase.

I just waited. I was thinking about my dream, and Hiccup, and… strangely, I thought of Lauren and Xavier. The way they were holding hands clearly showed that they were together. I felt happy for them. I’m sure I’ll hear what went down later when I see Xavier.

I knew I wanted a relationship with Hiccup. Everything about the little dork was plain adorable, and we became friends faster than anything. I didn’t want to be stuck in the friend zone. Were we in the friend zone? This was so confusing.

And there he was, descending the stairs gracefully. His core was tight, and unlike most people, his head didn’t bounce with every step he took. His feet were making quick movements, and soon he was at my level. Hiccup was dressed in a faded forest-green tee, black skinny jeans (but not _too_ skinny), brown fur boots and a fur vest to tie it all together.

“Hey.” Hiccup said. I was still staring at him. His freckles stood out, and his outfit made his eyes sparkle, well, even more. He waved a hand in my face.

“Huh? What? Oh, hey.” I said finally.

“Geez, spacey much?” He asked smiling.

“Yeah…” I said, “To my common room?”

“To your common room!” Hiccup said throwing his hands in the air and acting like a super hero. We were there in no time at all.

I slipped through the Fat Lady’s portrait and up to my room. I pulled off the uncomfortable uniform and replaced it with my blue hoodie and a white tee, with tan jeans and no shoes. Shoes were for suckers. I then walked out and returned to Hiccup.

“Really? No shoes?” Hiccup said, eyebrows raised. I shot him a look.

“Yes really. Shoes are for suckers.” I said, saying my mantra from earlier. Hiccup rolled his eyes and laughed.

“Okay, whatever. So what do you want to do?” Hiccup said as we continued down the corridor. Our hands brushed up against each other, and a shudder ran through me as my stomach flip-flopped.

“I have no idea.” I said, a smile spreading across my face lightly.

“Okay, then. I have a question.” Hiccup said, suddenly.

“Ask away.” I said lightly. I was curious okay? There was a smile on Hiccup’s face and a faint blush, but hey, it was there. You know, if you squinted hard enough you could just make it out… but I wasn’t really looking that hard anyways (LIES!)

“What’s up with your hair?” Hiccup asked. I groaned. I thought it would be a deeper question that that! Hiccup waved his hands in the air nervously as he went on. “I’m serious! I’m dead serious! Like, did you charm it, or dye it or _something_?” I laughed.

“Are you really that concerned about coloring of my _hair_?” I asked, stumped. “I was really hoping you would be like, ‘oh Jack, why are you so awesome?’” I said, mimicking Hiccup’s voice, but it sounded nothing like him.

“I don’t sound like that!” Hiccup said defiantly, crossing his arms across his chest. “And I told you, I’m _serious_!”

“If you really want to know… fine.” I said, looking at Hiccup. “It’s natural. I did absolutely nothing to my hair. Satisfied?” I said.

“Very.” Hiccup said, smiling. I rolled my eyes.

“Why would you even ask that?” I said incredulously. Hiccup looked at me, and my heart nearly stopped. The afternoon light hit him perfectly, his auburn hair blazing up and his green eyes dancing the tango with the light rays. Then a blush bloomed across his face, his freckles almost disappearing. I noticed I was staring and I looked away.

“Curiosity killed the cat?” Hiccup said, unaffected from the awkward stare. “I don’t know. It’s been bugging me.”

“‘Killed the cat.’ Really?” I deadpanned, thinking about what happened with Toothless. Hiccup laughed out loud, bending in half while still walking. We were outside now, walking aimlessly through the grounds.

“Oh my gods,” Hiccup breathed out. “I totally forgot!”

“Yeah, thanks to your cat, I will probably be traumatized for life now.” I said, not thinking this was really funny.

Think this through a moment: how funny would it be if a) a cat you knew was a dragon talked to you _in your mind_ , and only you could hear it and he threatened your life, b) you had ridden on said cat-dragon thingy after a death threat, and you appreciate the thing but at the same time you are terrified, and c) when you warm up to it and are just cuddling it, it suddenly _thunk!_ , it collapses onto your chest like it just died! Wouldn’t you be a little bit worried the next time you encountered said cat-dragon thingy or any cat for that matter?

Don’t even dare to say no, because it’s scary and I almost had a heart attack.

“Get over it, Jack. He’ll be fine,” Hiccup said airily.

“You act like this has happened before…” I mumbled, and flopped onto the ground.

“FYI, this has happened before.” Hiccup said, sitting down next to me. “He knocks out for a couple hours. He’ll wake up, and he’ll be hungry. I’ll probably grab him something from the kitchens…”

“You are a total cat-lover, Hiccup…” I said laughing.

“I’m a _dragon_ -lover. You are the one who’s a cat-lover!” He retaliated.

“I am not!” I said, shooting him a glance and laughing, totally denying the fact.

“You are too!” He said. We were acting as such little kids! It was kind of funny… “I saw you! You were _gushing_ over Toothless, until he passed out!” Okay, that was true. I couldn’t deny it.

“Okay…” I said, then I put some of the pieces of the puzzle together. Gosh… “I guess I like cats so much because… well, my sister _adored_ them.” Hiccup’s mouth parted slightly, revealing his crooked teeth. But I couldn’t focus on his cuteness; my sister was swimming in my mind.

“Talking about it helps, you know?” Hiccup said. His eyes looked meaningful, and I sighed.

“I went home for Christmas break last year.” I started, laying down in the grass. “Emma wanted to go ice skating, so I took her. I thought the lake was frozen over all the way. I forgot my wand in my room. We were having fun, and then there was this loud crack.

“I was safe on the solid ice, while Emma was on the thin ice. She was scared and I didn’t know what to do. A second later, she was in the water. She died right in front of me. And I couldn’t do a single _damn_ thing…” My voice died in my throat, as tears leaked out of my eyes. I sat up abruptly as I wiped the tears away hastily.

“That must have been pretty rough.” Hiccup said. I think he got that I didn’t want his pity. Soon, he was hugging me, his thin but surprisingly strong arms wrapped around my shoulders. I collapsed into his small form, never thinking that I could feel so safe in his arms.

I couldn’t control it. The tears were still leaking out of my eyes, falling onto Hiccup’s furry vest. I let go of him, and wiped at my eyes again, sniffing loudly.

“Sorry,” I said. Hiccup smiled.

“Don’t mention it.” He said. There was a silence, and it wasn’t all that comfortable. “Gods, this is too serious.” Hiccup breathed.

“Yeah,” I sighed, laughing it off.

“We should do something.” He said with conviction. I laughed at him.

“If only this castle was more exciting…” I sighed. This was probably the most exciting place I knew.

“Oh, yeah. It’s the _castle’s_ fault.” Hiccup said sarcastically. I looked at him and there was something in his eyes that I couldn’t place. I just threw him a smile as I jumped to my feet and offered him my hand.

“Of course it is, my good fellow,” I said, English accent flaring without my permission. He took my hand, and it took no effort to pull him up. I slung my arm over his shoulders. “Let us go find something to do.”

“Yes, yes, my good man!” Hiccup said. His accent was surprisingly accurate, but his voice quivered with his laughter. I burst out laughing, unable to help it. Why was this guy so freaking adorable? We were walking around a while, until a fascinating idea hit me square in the chest.

“You know what we should do?” I whispered to him.

“What?” He whispers back.

“You see that guy over there?” I said, gesturing to this guy that was walking in the corridor holding a book.

“Yeah…” Hiccup said uneasily.

“We should totally prank him.” I said, laughing at what the prank would be.

“He’s not going to get hurt, right?” Hiccup said. Even though he didn’t even know the guy, he didn’t want him to get hurt. That’s so cute!

“Of course not…” I said in a voice that made Hiccup raise his eyebrows. “Don’t worry, nothing’s going to happen to him.”

“Then what’s the prank?” Hiccup said. I smiled, almost evilly.

“I need you to agree first.”

“Fine. But… why?” He asked, twisting to look into my eyes.

“Because… never mind, you already said yes. Let’s hurry before he leaves!” I said, pulling him into a secluded area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god... that dream though. I'm so sorry.  
> Anyways! Thank you for reading, and I hope you have an awesome day!


	13. The Prank

Chapter Thirteen: The Prank

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

“Jack, what the hell are you doing?” I said, as he slapped a hand over my mouth. He pulled through these tall bushes, and behind them was a little patch of fluffy overgrown grass.

“You agreed. Shut up.” He said, his voice low.

“I didn’t agree to you kidnapping me!” I whispered harshly. Jack just rolled his eyes at me.

“We don’t have much time! Just do what I say, okay?” Jack said, rushed. The bushes, coincidentally, had some berries on them. Jack took them in his hands.

“I would feel a lot better about this if, I don’t know, I knew what was going on!” I said, still trying at least to keep my voice down. Don’t get me wrong, I trust Jack, but sometimes he’s a little… eccentric.

“We,” Jack said, “are going to pretend that _you_ are dead.” He took his wand out and transfigured the berries into a bowl of a red substance.

“Is that… blood?” I said, dipping my fingers into the bowl.

“Fake blood.” Jack corrected. “Now let me see.” He said, pushing me back a little. He dipped his fingers into the fake blood and smeared it onto my forehead. He did this a couple times, and every time his hands were… gentle? How do I say that without sounding creepy? Oh wait, you don’t.

He looked at me, and he smiled. “Perfect,” He said. “Now… don’t freak out at the next part…”

“There’s a next part?” I asked, startled. Why does this have to be super complicated? Jack peeked out from the bushes.

“Of course, you need to be dead remember? He’s still there, let’s go.” He said, he made the bowl vanish and he put his wand away.

“Why do I feel like this is a bad decision?” I said.

“Because it’s fun and you, my friend, are a stick in the mud. Now suck it up,” Jack snapped playfully. He walked over to me, and in an instant, he was carrying me bridal-style.

“What the hell are you doing?” I asked for the second time that day, trying to wiggle out of his hold.

“It’s all a part of the prank, now act like you’re dead, hurry! He’s leaving!” Jack said. I sighed, and in an instant, I went limp, my eyes closing and my mouth opening slightly.

And then Jack was running. And yelling. He was pretty good at this, because he seemed utterly panicked.

“Someone help me!” He was screaming. “Hiccup!” He yelled, presumably at me. “Don’t do this to me!” He was running, and it felt really weird. I wanted to open my eyes, but I knew I would ruin it. I stayed still. “Oh my god please help me!”

“Oh my shit!” An unfamiliar voice said, and I heard a book clatter to the floor. It was the guy we were aiming to prank. I bit back a smile as I fought to stay totally limp. “Let me help you!”

“He needs to get to the hospital wing!” Jack said. I felt my legs being held by another set of hands as Jack took my shoulders. We were running down the corridor. “Now, Frecks!” Jack whispered harshly in my ear, and I didn’t even know how that was possible. But I took the chance and I opened my eyes.

“RAAAA!” I said, looking directly at Book-Guy.

“AAAAAAAH!” He screamed, dropping me. Jack stood me up and we both died laughing. “WHAT THE HECK?” Book-Guy screamed at us. We just laughed harder, seeing him clutch at his heart and gasp for breath.

“It… it was a prank, dude…” Jack got out, laughing again.

“That was cruel…” Book-Guy mumbled.

“We… we meant nothing by it.” I said, sucking up my laughter. “Seriously, it was just for a laugh.”

“I should tell the Headmaster on you both.” Book-Guy replied. Dang, could this guy not take a joke? It was a prank! No one was hurt, shouldn’t we all have a good laugh about this?

“Don’t tell the headmaster!” Jack squawked.

“I won’t tell the headmaster,” Book-Guy said, picking up his book from the floor. “But you guys are jerks.”

“You… you’re just going to let us get away with this, right?” I said, trying to be light about this. Really, I should be the one that was mad! I’m the one with fake blood all over my face. I looked at Jack, who looked a little scared. Well, it looks like he got his adrenaline rush for today.

“This time,” Book-Guy said, holding a finger at us. Jack’s jaw dropped. “I will let you two off the hook _this time_. And because I know that you, Hiccup, have a personal relationship with all the teachers.” And with that. Book-Guy walked away. I looked Jack, who was still a little bit shocked at the whole thing. His mouth was gaping open and everything. I had to laugh.

“You pick really good people to prank, Jack.” I said, trying not to laugh as hard as I can. “Who knew that the guy wouldn’t turn us in?”

“That was _seriously_ unexpected. I really thought that I would have to have another chat with North.” Jack said, smiling at me. Oh Lord, my heart nearly stopped. Why did he have to look at me like he really did like me more than friends?

“Well then, I guess this is your lucky day, then!” I said, grabbing his shoulder and shaking him. He batted me off, laughing.

“It sure is, Frecks.” He said. “You, uh… got a little something…” Jack said, pointing at me.

“But you just gestured to _all_ of me.” I pointed out. Jack just laughed. And then it finally clicked in my slow brain of mine. _He was talking about the fake blood, duh_.

“That’s it, Hiccup.” Jack said, “Because I have a problem with all your ‘Viking-ness.’” We both laughed and Jack kept talking. “You still haven’t told me the story behind that, by the way.”

“Dang,” I said, snapping my fingers. “Just when I thought I was gonna get away with it, too.” Jack smirked at me and rolled his eyes, as if to say, ‘ _Not this time_.’ “Okay, I’ll tell you once I get this stupid fake blood off me. Deal?” I said, holding out my hand to Jack, who eagerly shook it.

“You have got yourself a deal, Mister Haddock.” He said. Was it me, or did his hand linger a bit…? I shook the thought out of my mind as we ambled the corridors in search for the bathroom.

I burst out laughing whenever someone would walk past us. It was like they saw us and were like, ‘ _Yeah okay sure_ …’ and then it’ll hit them, like, ‘ _Whoa, what was wrong with that’s dude’s face_?’ Attention wasn’t really my thing, so I found this really uncomfortable, but I just laughed off the unease. Jack thought it was kind of funny too, so I kept my mouth shut.

We made it to the bathroom and I looked into a mirror. And, no joke here, I literally scared myself. My face was completely transformed into a terrifying, bloody mess. And… and it looked convincing! I just stared at myself for a moment, then I looked at Jack, who was standing right behind me.

“You should really go into the stage makeup business.” I said, knowing that he’ll have no idea what I meant by it. As expected, Jack shot me a confused look.

“Who-do-whaty-what-now?” Jack said, double-taking. I rolled my eyes.

“Stage makeup. You know, makeup for movies and stuff.” I said, turning on the tap. Cold water spilled into the sink as I cupped my hands and splashed it onto my face and scrubbing the fake blood off.

“Oh.” I heard Jack say before he trailed off. The sink was stained with red when I was finished. I looked into the mirror again, my face dripping water and Jack looking wide-eyed at me.

“Is there something wrong?” I asked quirkily.

“No, no,” Jack said lightly. I pulled the collar of my shirt over my eyes to dry my face off, no doubt showing my stomach off. “Um…” Jack said, biting his lip. “So the Viking-ness story.” He said.

“Oh, yeah. So basically my hometown Berk was descended from Vikings and apparently we take pride in it or something. Hence, my name.” I said, in a rushed explanation. I didn’t want to go all detailed into it, just for the fact that it wasn’t exactly happy times for me in Berk.

“Wow, you could have told me that _ages_ ago.” Jack said, completely not pressing matters whatsoever. I smiled.

“Whatever, you know now. Don’t complain.” I shot back. We walked out of the bathroom. Good, it was getting a bit hot in there…

* * *

 

** Jack’s P.O.V    **

Oh my _god_.

Okay, so I know that I’ve seen it all before, but this was different. When Hiccup dried his face with his shirt, it rode up, showing off his waist and his stomach and…

_I cannot have a heart attack… I cannot have a heart attack_ …

My heart was beating so fast and my brain was running a million miles an hour, it was a miracle I could even talk levelly. But I was, and the best part was… _Hiccup was acting like nothing ever happened_!

I need to relax… I need to _calm down_ …

“What if I want to complain?” I shot back quickly, not wanting to be caught off guard, like at all.

“Then that’s all your fault.” Hiccup said, challenging me.

“Whatever.” I said, rolling my eyes dramatically at him. What was that? Like our _thing_? Rolling our eyes? Could it even be called ‘our thing’? Probably not, we weren’t even a thing…

“Hey guys!” A voice chirped down the hall. We turned, and saw Lauren and Xavier at the end of the corridor. They were beaming at us like they had some sort of plan.

“Hey Lauren!” Hiccup said happily, jogging down the hall easily to meet the two. I wasn’t very far behind, my bare feet slapping the marble noisily. “What’s up you two?” He asked, smiling.

“Nothing, really.” Xavier said, smiling in a way that I knew he was lying. I didn’t question it though, only because my mind was still muddled with thought of my little Freckles… Shit, Lauren saw me space out for like two seconds. Her eyes are like lights on a Christmas tree. She has a plan, _oh lord she has a plan_. Oh gosh I’m in trouble.

“Hey, Jack, could I talk to you for a moment?” She asked. Fuck me. I nodded, and shrugged my shoulders at Hiccup, who looked at me questioningly. “Excuse us, boys…” She said, grabbing my arm and dragging me down the way Hiccup and I just came.

“You wanted to speak with me…. Why?” I asked, not sure why she does things in the first place.

“What’s up?” She said, a grin on her face.

“Oh you know,” I said. “The sky, the moon, the risk of Muggles getting diabetes, oh and don’t forget my grades.” I suppressed a smile, hoping that got me off the general topic she was about to set on. Lauren just snorted.

“I know the last one isn’t the truth.” She said, looking at me knowingly.

“Oh, c’mon, give me the benefit of the doubt!” I argued as she laughed.

“Your grades aren’t the reason why I pulled you over here, Jack.” She said, poking my stomach with her finger. I squirmed, never really thinking a person’s finger could embed itself so far into flesh, and it kinda hurt. “I’m talking about what’s up, with you know…” She said, looking in the direction where Hiccup and Xavier were contently chatting away.

“That?” I asked, jerking a finger towards them. “Oh that’s fine with me. I know Xavier has a thing for you, so it’s cool.” I was the opposite of getting off the hook. I was getting even more impaled as the moments passed by. Lauren grabbed my arm and shook me slightly.

“No!” She said laughing. “It’s amazing to know that you don’t have jealousy issues, but _what’s going on with you and Hiccup_?” She hissed, making sure no one else heard a thing. I sighed. And bingo, I was dead. But I couldn’t lie to her, even if I tried. Lauren was just so persuasive like that; she got all of your secrets out before you knew it. And I cursed her inwardly for it.

“Nothing really. We’ve just been goofing off the whole day.” I said, but I felt like I was in trouble with my mom somehow.

“Haven’t made a move again?” She asked, a pained look in her eyes as she looked at me.

“No, why would I…? Wait a minute, did you just say ‘again?’” I said, baffled. Lauren looked apologetic, but now she wasn’t getting off the hook this time.

“Um, yeah… well, Hiccup told me about that one time where you guys almost… _almost kissed_.” She said, whispering the last words.

“HE WHAT?” I yelled, having no regards that the person in question was up the hall. I shot a glance at Hiccup and Xavier, who were looking at me weirdly. I gave them an innocent smile and I grabbed Lauren’s wrist blindly. I broke into a door, that there happened to have a classroom behind, dragged Lauren inside, and shut the door.

“He… what?!?” I asked, a little bit more composed now.

“Um… yeah, I don’t really know how to explain it…” She said, biting her bottom lip and fingering her hair.

“You don’t have to explain it! I was there!” I said. Why would he tell her, and most importantly, _what_ did he tell her?

“Do you mind tell me what went down between you two in the first place? I thought both- you gave up on him?” She said, tripping over her sentence and clearing her throat.

“I-I did, but… it’s hard to keep away when you’ve liked someone for years, and they just so happen to be your best friend….” I said, never really giving myself an answer for that question until now. Leave it to Lauren to find things out about yourself that you didn’t even know…

“But that day though… what happened _that day_?” She stressed gently. I pretended to think, but I didn’t need to; all the details of that day were pressed into my mind for eternity.

“Hiccup was telling me the story on how he came across Toothless, and then… I hugged him, and… I don’t know. I ruined everything by kissing him…” I said, not really going into detail.

“Wait, so you did kiss?” She asked.

“Barely.” I corrected. “Like, ugh it’s cheesy, but literally, our lips _barely_ touched before Toothless broke us apart.”

“Then that was like your guys’ first kiss then!” Lauren said excitedly.

“I guess, but Lauren, it isn’t a good thing.” I said, reminding her.

“That’s what Hiccup said too,” She mumbled so that I couldn’t really make it out.

“I’m serious. I almost ruined everything! I’m just lucky that Hiccup doesn’t take anything too seriously. Like, if he did, I would probably be beaten to death right now.” _By Toothless_ , I added to myself.

“You both need to stop looking on the negative side. Why can’t we all be happy?” She said.

“Why do you keep saying ‘both’?” I questioned her. She turned scarlet and pursed her lips together. “What did Hiccup say about all this?” I asked, slightly not wanting to hear the answer.

“Why don’t you ask him?” She shot. “You know, you have a habit of going behind people’s backs.” She stated. I looked at her angrily. Me… going behind people’s backs…?

“I don’t do that!” I said.

“Yes you do!” She countered. “The first day of term, you tried asking me his name. And now you’re asking me what he said? Why don’t you just ask him out and get it over with? What’s the worst he can say? No?”

“It’s a lot more complicated than that, Lauren!” I said, my fingers tangling in my hair for a short moment.

“Then explain!” Lauren said, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. “Why is it so complicated?”

“Because!” I said back, realizing it wasn’t a very good counter-argument. “I’ve liked Hiccup for a long time. And now that we’re finally friends… I sorta don’t want to screw it up. I mean, yeah, it would be cool to be going out with him and all… but I don’t think I want to put what we have already in danger, you know?”

“No, I don’t.” Lauren said, looking at me with understanding in her hazel eyes. “But I’ll try… I really will…” She muttered something under her breath and I couldn’t really hear it.

“Of course you wouldn’t get it. You like a guy for ten seconds and you’re already going out with him.” I said, rolling my eyes.

“What?” She yelled. “For the record, Xavier and I are _not_ going out!” She was an interesting shade of scarlet. _Oh, I wish I had a camera right now…_

“Yeah yeah, sure. I see the way you look at each other.” I said smugly.

“Just like the way-!” Lauren started to yelled back when her hands popped over her mouth. I raised my eyebrows expectantly. “Never mind. Just… argh! Conversation is over!” She said, musing her hair as she walked out of the classroom.

* * *

 

**Meanwhile…**

* * *

 

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

“Hey Jack, can I talk to you for a moment?” Lauren asked suddenly. Jack nodded as I gave him a look. He shrugged at me, as if to say, “ _What did I do now, right_?”

“Excuse us, boys…” Lauren said, grabbing Jack’s arm and pulling him down the hall. I had to laugh a little.

“Well, that wasn’t weird at all…” I said, shrugging it off.

“Yep, completely ordinary…” Xavier said sarcastically, his spiky blonde hair turning darker in the light. I looked at it for a moment, baffled. “You’re creeping me out a bit.” He said defensively, shifting a bit.

“Sorry…” I mumbled. “I could have sworn your hair changed color…”

“Trick of the light…” Xavier muttered lightly. “You uh… got a little something right here.” He said, pointing at my forehead; a part that is usually cover by my hair.

“Oh, thanks.” I said, my palm scrubbing the spot.

“What is that? Blood?” He asked, laughing a bit.

“Fake blood actually.” I corrected. “Jack and I pulled a prank on some dude…” Xavier started to laugh, when he was broken off by a very loud Jack.

“HE WHAT?” Jack yelled, the echo bouncing up and down the marble hallways. He looked back at us sheepishly, and then pulled Lauren into an empty classroom.

“Those two are just plain weirdos.” Xavier said, rolling his eyes. I had to laugh, nodding my head. “So what have you and Jack been up to?” He asked, and there was something in his voice that suggested something I didn’t even want to think about. Did I want to think about that? Hmm… wait, what?!? _I’m in the middle of a conversation_!

“Well, he put Toothless to sleep, and then we pulled that prank on that one guy. And then we found you guys so…” I said, continuing like I never thought anything dirty…

“Well, sounds like you had some fun…” Xavier said, laughing. “Jack sure is a pain in the ass sometimes though.”

“Don’t I know it…” I mumbled. Xavier laughed loudly, and all the blood in my body flooded my cheeks. _Did I really just say that_?

“What?” He said barely able to breathe. He looked at me, his eyes scrunched up with laughing too hard. “I cannot believe you just said that!”

“ _You know what I meant_.” I said, glaring into his eyes. My eyes widened at the sight of them. “Dude! Your eyes are purple!” I said, looking into his eyes more intently. The smile vanished from his face.

“Ummm… trick of the light?” Xavier said seriously. I shook my head.

“There is no way _that_ is a trick of the light.” I said, as his eyes struggled to turn back to brown, but there was a bit of blue in them… “Are you a Metamorphagus?” I asked, the name suddenly dawning on me.

“Yeah, but don’t tell anyone though.” He said, blinking furiously as his eyes turned their normal brown and his hair its normal blonde.

“Got it.” I said. There was something about Xavier that told me he was a good guy, but he could seriously hurt you if you double-cross him. I made a mental note of it.

Just then, Lauren came out of the room, and irritated look in her eyes. I could see even when she was all the way down the hall. Jack was right behind her, rolling his eyes.

“Had a nice conversation?” Xavier called to them, laughing. Lauren just rolled her eyes, and Jack threw us a smile.

“Oh, the best.” Lauren said, apparently pissed off.

“Yeah, it was an _absolute_ blast!” Jack said sarcastically. I pulled out my wand and twirl it once around my fingers. Neon lights showed up in the middle of the blur my wand made, telling that it was time for dinner.

“Anyone else hungry?” I asked, trying to ease the tension. “Because I’m starving. Let’s go.” I said. I was going to grab Jack and drag him down to the Great Hall when Lauren too my outstretched arm.

“Come on, Hiccup, let’s go.” She said. Xavier and Jack were talking quietly as we made our way down the hall. Lauren was blushing, and there was an angry look in her eye. She was clutching my arm like a vice.

“What’s up, Lauren?” I asked. She looked at me, eyebrows raised. Then she looked at the floor, a small smile on her face.

“Nothing.” She said, a short _fake_ laugh escaping her mouth.

“Then why are you lying to me?” I replied. Hazel eyes met my green eyes and she sighed. Yes! Finally! I got inside Lauren’s head! _For once in my life, I’m getting her to tell me what’s on her mind_!

“You’re right…” She said, letting go of my arm and running her finger through her long hair. “It’s just… Jack thought that me and Xavier were going out.” What?

“I thought you were going out.” I said. She shot me a look.

“No!” Lauren said. “I barely know him!”

“I thought you liked him!” I said in my defense.

“I do! It’s just…” She said stopping. “Never mind. You wouldn’t get it.”

“Of course I wouldn’t. I just know exactly how you’re feeling. It’s not like I could help you or anything.” I said, rolling my eyes at her. She shoved my shoulder lightly.

“If I need any help, I’m sure I’ll come to you, okay?” Lauren said. I smiled.

“You better.” I replied, earning a genuine smile from her. 

We arrived at the Great Hall, Jack and Xavier not far behind us. Judging by the tangible tension between Jack and Lauren, Xavier and I agreed to keep them apart for now. We didn’t say any of this _aloud_ , of course, we just agreed by looking at each other.

Lauren and I sat and ate until we were full. Then we walked around the corridors, just talking. Actually, she was telling me a story about her favorite subject: her brothers.

“And… oh my gosh, all of a sudden, he goes, ‘ _I don’t feel so well_ ,’ and then… HAHA and then he threw up all over our dad’s head!” She said, laughing her head off. I laughed too, because her laugh was contagious, and hey, that was pretty funny.

“Ew…” I said.

“I’m not boring you to death, am I?” Lauren asked, uncertainly.

“No!” I said, waving my hands at her. “Not really. It was really cute.”

“You seem out of it.” She examined. How is she always right? “Thinking about… _other things_?” Lauren said innocence in her eyes. I rolled my eyes at her.

“I’m thinking about Toothless… I should probably go see if he’s okay.” I said, giving her a quick hug. “G’night.”

“Night, Hiccup.” She said as I dashed off.

In my common room, I saw a very irritated Toothless sitting on my bed. I cringed at his gaze.

“Sorry, bud.” I said. He accepted my apology and I petted him behind the ears. “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

I lounged in my bed for a while. My roommates fell asleep promptly and I laughed. Pulling on normal clothes, my boots, and my flight gear, I walked silently to the window. Toothless was right by me, already fitting in his fake-tail gear. I laughed again. It was too big.

Doing the spell, we both slipped out of the window and flew around. And then I saw someone hanging out of their window.

“Yeah! Go Mr. Dragon-Rider!” They yelled in a familiar voice. I flew over. “Hey, Frecks.” Jack said, smiling.

“You really would,” I said, flying past him. He just laughed.

“Do that again!” He said, his blue eyes gleaming with mischief in the moonlight. I guided Toothless to fly past his window again, and the unexpected happened.

Jack jumped onto Toothless’ back, joining us. Toothless was unbalanced by the sudden extra-weight, but he corrected himself. Jack just laughed as he wrapped his arms around me for support.

“You are officially crazy!” I yelled over the scream of the wind in our ears.

“Thanks for the observation!” He yelled back.

Let’s just say Toothless did some wild tricks that night, trying to freak out Jack (or make him fall off, I’m not sure). But Jack loved it; he acted like he _belonged_ in the air.

I dropped Jack off at his window, and he hopped off.

“Night, Frecks.” He said, ruffling my hair. “Goodnight Toothless…” He sang, petting the dragon’s head lovingly. Toothless shook him off, playfully annoyed. I laughed.

“Night, Jack.” I said, giving him one last look before we flew off. Entering by my window, I cast the spell on Toothless quickly, and he hopped inside. I got him untangled from his gear, and I took off mine, and I pulled on my pajamas. I curled up into my bad and promptly fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That prank was so cruel...


	14. Having A Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's a major time skip! It is now December!

Chapter Fourteen: Having A Ball

** Jack’s P.O.V **

Mondays usually sucked, but this Monday was a total bust. I was nearly late for class because I slept in. I don’t know how Hiccup does it… I’ve been going on rides with Toothless lately, it’s become more of a habit. And I guess I was sort of addicted to it. And we stay up pretty late, and I can never go to sleep after hanging onto Hiccup so innocently…

*Clears throat* Anyway… Classes just sucked in general, but then again, who _wants_ to be stuck in a room and be lectured at?

And it was, after all, just another sucky Monday… until dinner at least. I ate with Xavier and Hiccup, who had Toothless right by him. We were about the last people in the Hall, and we were eating ice cream for dessert.

“Hey, where’s Lauren?” Xavier asked, pulling his spoon out of his mouth.

“No ide-” Hiccup started to say, when Lauren ran in the Hall, straight at us. “Found her.” He said with a grin.

“Guess what guys?” Lauren said, smacking her palms onto the table. Toothless walked other and circled her ankles. “Guess _freaking_ what?”

“What, Loor?” Hiccup said, using that stupid nickname. Lauren liked it for some reason though, so I didn’t really say anything.

“There’s going to be a freaking _Christmas Ball_.” She said, flopping down at our table next to Hiccup. Her head was in her hands as if she was told the world was ending.

“You’re a girl… isn’t that a good thing?” I asked, lost. Girls got happy when this sort of thing happened. Guys asked them out, they get all dressed up… yadda yadda blah. _Boring_!

“It is most definitely _not_ a good thing!” Lauren said, seriously. “I’m going to-” She stopped midsentence. Hiccup put his hand on her shoulder.

“What?” He asked. The concern in his eyes was all too much. Lauren looked at him, and then at Xavier and I.

“I’m going to have to wear a… _dress_.” She finally spat out, as if it was the most disgusting word she ever encountered. I had to laugh.

“You’re freaking out about this whole thing because you have to wear a _dress_?” I asked. “You can’t be serious!”

“I _am_ serious. You guys know me! Dresses are not my thing! Hell, I don’t own a dress!” She said exasperated.

“Then why don’t you just… not go?” Xavier asked. Somehow, I think he’s hoping she gets over it.

“The flyer basically says it’s mandatory!” Lauren whined.

“Do we… have any problems here, you four?” A drawling voice said behind me. Hiccup went stiff and Lauren pulled herself together for this moment. I twisted in my seat and saw Professor Pitch standing over me. I gave him a devilish smile.

“Not at all Professor,” Lauren lied easily.

“We were just discussing the Christmas Ball. Is there anything wrong with that, sir?” I asked.

“No, nothing.” Pitch replied levelly. His glance fell on Hiccup for more than a second. I swear I was going to punch him in the face. “I just thought you all might need to know… it’s also ‘mandatory’ to have a date to this ball.”

A date?

“That sounds… understandable, sir. Thank you for informing us.” Xavier said, saving us from silence.

“You’re welcome.” He said in a voice that said that he wasn’t welcome. Not at all. Then he walked off, basically melting in with the shadows.

“Oh, that’s just great, now we need _dates_!” Lauren said, rolling her eyes. Hiccup was still frozen, his eyes glazed over in thought.

“It could be worse,” I said trying to cheer her up. “They could have assigned dates or something!” Lauren gave a sigh.

“I guess you’re right…” She said.

“If you want, I’ll take you to the ball.” Xavier said. We all looked at him in surprise. “As friends, you know.” He said in compensation, his cheeks going an unnatural red.

“Sure,” Lauren said unsurprisingly. “That’ll be nice.”

“Cool, I’m gonna bounce.” Xavier said, standing up.

“I’ll go with you,” Lauren said, petting Toothless once last time before leaving with Xavier. And then it was only me and Hiccup, who was staring at me.

“A ball, huh?” He said, an impish smile on his face. “You think I could bring Toothless?” I laughed.

“Probably not, but you get fifty points for trying.” I said, making him smile a little more.

“You planning on taking anyone special?” He asked, resting his head on his arms and looking up at me. He looked _so cute_ … stop it! _STOP IT_!

“Nah, not really. But I bet every girl wants to go with me,” I said. Okay, so maybe that was the number one cockiest thing to say, but it was the truth.

“That’s not true,” He said. “Lauren doesn’t want to go with you.” I rolled my eyes at him.

“No shit, Merlin. She has her own beau to be worrying about.” I said, making him laugh.

“Yeah, and we’re just the single idiots who don’t give a fuck.” He said, sitting up again. Toothless was at my ankles, sniffing me cautiously. I stuck my hand in front of his nose. After sniffing it, he nudged my hand. I took that as consent to pick him up, and I hauled the cat into my lap.

“Yeah.” I said, scratching Toothless wildly. “Why should we?”

* * *

** Lauren’s P.O.V **

Things were silent for a moment. Too silent. I didn’t want to be too loud and ruin everything, so I kept my mouth shut as Xavier and I walked across the courtyard.

“So that was your plan? A ball?” Xavier asked me. And then once I opened my mouth, a stream of words started to flow.

“Well, I didn’t really think North would seriously _consider_ it!” I said, my hands moving wildly. “When I told him, he looked really out of it, but… but… he agreed, but they messed it all up! They made it mandatory that you take someone!”

“I think it’s a pretty good idea. Have them go together as friends and then… they finally say how they feel.” Xavier said, shrugging. “But why did you need to know why they liked each other?”

“Oh, that’s for Plan B.” I said.

“Wow, you are an evil mastermind, aren’t you?” He said, his carefully constructed mask melting away. Xavier now had grey eyes ad slightly over long bright red hair. I had to smile, he was so unique and yet he was so insecure…

“Yeah, I got a plan for every letter of the alphabet.” I joked.

“Of course you do.” Xavier said, rolling his eyes at me.

“I’m serious!” I said trying to convince him. So, maybe I was a terrible liar? He looked at me, eyebrows raised. “Okay fine, but I do have a Plan B, believe it or not, and if this doesn’t work out, I’m pretty sure I’m going to slap the heck out of both of them.”

“I don’t get why they haven’t figured it out yet.” Xavier said, rolling his eyes again, this time at the ignorance of our friends. “I mean, their just so _obvious_ …”

“They’re just scared.” I resolved. “They… have their own assumptions, but they push it away because they think of it as ‘wishful thinking.’ And I get it… sort of.”

“What do you mean?” Xavier said.

“Well, it’s like… ugh how to explain it…” I asked myself. I knew exactly what was going through each of their minds, but there’s no words to describe it!

“Okay,” I said, starting over. “So they like each other, right? But they don’t know it. All this stuff happens and they almost kiss and boom. It hits them. They almost _kissed_ … and the other didn’t do anything about it! It’s kind of like they go through denial, and then reality hits them like a bomb. But they can’t face the truth, so they pass it off as a fluke. Wishful thinking. They don’t want to believe that they like each other because… they don’t want to be heartbroken.”

“Well, that was well thought-out.” Xavier said sarcastically.

“Well, I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I finally figured it out… I think.” I said, my eyes screwed up.

“It sounds pretty legitimate if you asked me.” Xavier said, smiling.

“Thanks… I guess.” I said.

* * *

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

“So you aren’t planning on taking anyone?” Jack said, just to be sure. I rolled my eyes.

“I’ve only said that about five times.” I deadpanned. “No girl would want to go to a ball with a fishbone.” Well it was true!

“Not true!” Jack said, and Toothless growled his agreement.

“What side are you on?” I mumbled to the cat, who was still in Jack’s lap. Toothless just looked at me, as if to say, “ _The right side, idiot_.”

“I’m sure there’s tons of girls who want to go to the ball with you.” Jack said. “I mean, who can resist all that Viking-ness?” He asked, a smirk present on his lips.

“Tons of people really…” I muttered. I shook my head, getting those thoughts out.

“Do I really have to rant at you again?” Jack said angrily. “Because I will!”

“Boys!” Professor North said jollily as he peeked inside the Great Hall.

“Evening, Headmaster!” We chorused, while Toothless meowed at the huge man.

“What are you still doing in here?” North said.

“Just finishing up our ice cream Headmaster.” Jack said innocently. “Would you like some?” He asked, holding out his abandoned ice cream bowl out to the Santa-look-a-like. Now that I thought about it… North looked a lot like Jack… it’s probably just a coincidence. North just laughed.

“No thank you, Jack,” He said laughing, his Russian accent making it harder to understand him. “Last time I checked, the kitchens didn’t served ice cream.”

“We, uh… made a request…” I said, lying uneasily. What we actually did was paid a visit to the kitchens and asked the elves to make ice cream for us, specifically.

“As long as you didn’t eat cookies.” North said in his accent. “They tend to eat and spit back out.” Jack and I looked apprehensively at the cookie platter at the end of the table.

“Ew.” I said plainly. Jack laughed.

“You should be outside,” North said. “Go on. Go.” He said shooing us outside the hall. Toothless was following us.

“That was unexpected.” I said, looking at Jack. He was looking at me with those crystal-blue eyes, and I swear he could see my soul.

“Eh, it’s North though,” Jack said. “He’s a little unpredictable sometime.”

“How would you know?” I asked him accusingly, my eyebrows scrunched up and a smile flashed across my face. He looked down, his smile bright as he laughed lightly.

“Let’s just say we have a little history.” He said, looking at me again.

“Oh.” I said, pretending like I understood. Then my face scrunched up again. “That sounds dirty.” I remarked plainly.

“What? Tsk, urgh, huh? What? Ewww…” Jack said, flustered. “That’s just disgusting. Why would you think something like that?”

“You said it, Frosty.” I said, holding my hands up in defense. “I had nothing to do with that.” He rolled his eyes at me dramatically.

“Why would you suggest…” He asked, pretending to be emotional, “that our good Headmaster… is a _child molester_?” His acting could only go so far because he burst out laughing, nearly falling on the floor. I had to laugh with him. There were just some things that were contagious in life, such as influenza or STD’s, and as it turns out, Jack’s laugh was one of them.

“Why are you two such dorks?” Someone asked, trying to hold in their laughter. I didn’t have the strength to look at who it was, I was laughing that hard. Apparently, neither did Jack, because he was laughing even harder than I was.

“I think they need to go to the hospital wing…” Someone else muttered. Jack and I snapped out of it at those words.

“We’re good!” I said, clambering onto my feet. Jack was right behind me. The two that were watching us were none other than the lovebirds themselves: Lauren and Xavier.

“Do we really want to know what you two were laughing about?” Lauren said, crossing her arms over her chest. The look in her eye practically screamed, ‘TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE LAGHING ABOUT?” Jack shot me a dazzling smile, and then looked at the two.

“We were just talking about the headmaster being… you know… a child molester.” Jack said, completely unabashed and dead serious.

“WHAT?” Xavier said. I’m pretty sure if he was drinking anything, that I would be sprayed all over Jack and myself. I chuckled.

“We were joking, calm down.” I said. Lauren just looked at me, holding in her laughter. I hate how she sees right through me. It’s uncomfortable to have your souled stared at for no apparent reason.

“Dorks.” Lauren said finally, rolling her eyes.

“I will not stand to be insulted this way!” Jack said, acting like he was standing up for his honor or something. “I am off to bed!” With that, he shot me a smirk and strolled down the hall, indeed off to bed. Lauren looked at me, her smile almost splitting her face in half.

“Yes, yes I know…” I said, smiling back. “Dorks.”

* * *

** Jack’s P.O.V **

The moment that I was out of sight of Lauren, Hiccup, and Xavier… I was mobbed. I’m serious. The _moment_ … The only thing that stuck out to me was, “ _Damn, I must have some really dedicated stalkers_ …”

“Hi Jack…” About five girls said at once in a sing-song voice, batting their eyelashes flirtatiously at me.

“Uh… hey.” I said, trying to sound charming. That was a bad idea, seeing how they went wild.

“You’ve heard about the Christmas Ball, right, Jack?” One asked hurriedly.

“Have you asked anyone yet?” A brunette asked.

“I love you, Jack!” A blonde declared.

“I love him more, you twat!” Another blonde (maybe they were twins?) said, pulling the other by the hair and smacking her to the floor. The two blondes erupted into a full-fledged girl fight at my feet.

“Uh…” I said, stepping back. These girls are insane. I have to get out of here…

“Don’t mind them.” A black haired girl said. She seemed a lot calmer than the rest of them. “Would you like to go to the Ball with me, Jack?” She asked.

“No.” I replied. “Not really. Well, see you!” I said, leaving the girls behind as I ran down the hall.

I made it to the Gryffindor common room, and I thought I was safe. Definitely not.

“Jack! Hey!” This one girl (I think her name is Sammy?) said.

“Hi.” I replied. “Please tell me that what you’re about to say has nothing to do with the Christmas Ball.” I said, just as she opened her mouth.

“Well, actually, I was just about to ask you about that…” She said, as she walked over to me. “Since having a date is mandatory and all, I thought it would be nice if you and I went together.”

I hated this. I hated breaking people’s heart like this. It was times like this that I wanted to scream to the heavens, “I’M GAY, GODDAMMIT! SO STOP FREAKING ASKING!” But I didn’t.

“I’m…” I said. “I’m sorry. No, I sort of already have a date to the Ball.” I lied easily, thinking of Hiccup. Fat chance on that one though…

“Oh, I uh…” Sammy said. “Alright.” She turned away.

“But um… thanks for asking though.” I said awkwardly, not knowing what to say. “I’ll um… see you around.” I hoped up the Boy’s Dormitory stairs, taking them two at a time, trying to ignore the soft sobs that were being emitted from Sammy.

I felt like a jerk. I a major, total, 150% jerk. I took a shower, brushed my teeth and went to bed. I laid there for a while too, not even bothering to close my eyes.

“Jack?” Xavier asked. “You asleep?”

“Nope.” I replied, moodily.

“What’s up with you?” He asked.

“You know Sammy, right?” I asked, sitting up, my blankets pooling around my waist.

“Yeah, she’s like, my third-cousin or something, why?” Xavier said.

“She just asked me to the Ball, and I just said no. She cried.” I said.

“Life, man.” Xavier said simply, as he moved away to take a shower.

Hiccup didn’t even knock on my window tonight, like he did every night, so that we could fly. I didn’t worry about it; he was probably tired or something. I pulled my blankets over me again, leaving my head sticking out. My fingers and toes were exceptionally cold, and in my quest to bury them deep in my blankets so they could get warmth, my eyes closed and I fell asleep.

I dreamt of crying girls, an elf eating cookies, and finally, Hiccup in a dress, climbing down a set of stairs and grabbing my arm as we walked into the Great Hall. The scary part was… he actually looked good in the dress. 

* * *

 

Hiccup woke up the next morning, his head swimming and Toothless mewing next to him. Toothless was just upset that he didn’t get to go flying last night… but Hiccup had good reason.

When Jack left, Hiccup heard, rather than saw, him be attacked by all those girls. Hiccup didn’t let it get to him, well on the outside at least. Jack was probably going to get a date while Hiccup would be left alone. Hiccup inwardly rolled his eyes at himself; like he and Jack could go to the Ball together anyway. They were both guys, and he was sure the professors wouldn’t allow it.

Hiccup rubbed the black cat’s head none too thoughtfully as he launched himself out of bed. He took a quick shower, letting the hot water burn his skin but at least it got his mind off Jack a little, and got dressed. Raking his fingers through his hair once, he grabbed his backpack and left the dormitories, Toothless naturally by his side.

Jack, Xavier and Lauren were already in the Great Hall by the time Hiccup walked in. Hiccup leisurely grabbed the plate of smoked cod and placed it on the floor for Toothless, who hungrily attacked it. Hiccup just laughed at his cat… dragon… whatever, _companion_ as he sat down with his friends.

“Well, hello Sleeping Beauty.” Lauren said with a grin.

“What?” Xavier and Jack asked simultaneously.

“Muggle story.” Hiccup dismissed. “Don’t knock yourselves out.”

“Well, you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.” Jack muttered, crossing his arms across his chest. Hiccup’s hair was wet, and honestly it looked good. Jack had to stop himself from saying a comment (that was highly inappropriate, mind you) and bit the inside of his cheek instead.

“It’s not that, it’s just that you shouldn’t worry about something you’ll never understand.” Hiccup replied easily. “And by the way, don’t you have your own problems to worry about?”

Jack blushed. How’d Hiccup find out about that? I mean, he guessed that it was pretty obvious because currently, about a dozen girls were drooling and staring at him from across the Great Hall, _but that wasn’t the point_!

“I do, actually, and it sucks, big time.” Jack said, his hand gripping his hair unconsciously. “Why do I have to be such a heartthrob?” He asked to no one in particular. Hiccup snorted. Well, that one caught him off-guard

Lauren and Xavier shared a look, their lips pursed together tightly. Lauren looked at Hiccup, who was suppressing a truthful smile.

“Who lied to you?” Hiccup shot back at Jack, acting like he wasn’t fazed at all. Jack shot him a glare.

“No one, why?” Jack replied, a small smile playing on his lips.

“Because you aren’t a heartthrob.” Hiccup said levelly. Jack stuck out his tongue at him.

“So, are you two going to the Ball with anyone?” Xavier asked, prompting something neither Jack nor Hiccup could decipher. Hiccup just rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“Nope.” Hiccup and Jack said simultaneously.

“Why don’t you just go with each other?” Lauren asked innocently. Hiccup almost died. Jack smiled to himself, thinking about the dream he had (the one with Hiccup in a dress).

“What?” Hiccup asked. He was sure he was about to die. Lauren just killed him. _Cat’s out of the bag, everyone_ , Hiccup thought, _I’m officially screwed_.

“As friends, you dork.” Xavier said, punching him in the shoulder lightly. Hiccup just looked at him like he was the craziest man on the universe. “Go to the Ball as friends?” He clarified.

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Jack said. Hiccup just looked at him, wide-eyed. Lauren and Xavier beamed at each other.

“What?!” Hiccup said again, shocked. Did Jack really agree to this? Like, seriously? This isn’t a joke?

“I mean, c’mon! Think about it!” Jack said, excitedly. Finally, a good and innocent excuse to be with Hiccup! “If we go together, my girl problems and your nonexistent girl problems will be solved!”

“Gee, I don’t know whether to be flattered or offended.”

“Oh, c’mon Frecks! Don’t be like this!” Jack whined, giving Hiccup the puppy-dog face.

“You haven’t even asked yet.” Hiccup deadpanned.

“…You’re really making me do this now, aren’t you?” Jack said while he glared at his long-standing crush. The Great Hall was practically filled with people.

“Yes.” Hiccup replied, pretending to survey his nails. “That way there can’t be any rumors floating around.”

“Come on Hiccup.” Lauren said. “There’s going to be rumors anyway.”

“I know,” Hiccup said smiling. Then he cupped one hand over his mouth and fake-whispered to Lauren. “ _But look how red he’s getting_!” Lauren slapped her hands across her mouth to stifle her laugh. Jack’s face was as red as a tomato.

“Fine, then.” Jack said, smirking. He walked over to Hiccup’s side of the bench, grabbed Hiccup hand, and dropped down on one knee. Hiccup just looked at him in shock. “Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, will you do me the honor of being my date to the Christmas Ball?” Jack asked dramatically, loud enough for everyone to hear. At this point, you could have heard a pin drop in _the whole castle_.

Someone wolf-whistled as Hiccup’s cheeks flooded red. Then, pulling on an emotional mask, he threw himself into Jack’s arms.

“Yes!” He cried. “Yes, I will go to the Ball with you!” He pretended to cry out of happiness on Jack’s shoulder, but in reality, they were both shaking with laughter. Almost every girl in the castle sighed, but whether it was out of depression that Jack was taken or the fake love scene that was before them, no one really knew.

Jack pushed Hiccup out of his arms half-heartedly, not really wanting to let go of his date to the Ball. “Dork.” Jack said playfully. “You’re a terrible actor.”

“Okay, Mr. Hypocrite.” Hiccup enthused. “You think your ultra-cliché demonstration made you look professional, huh?” And then, both sitting on the Great Hall’s floor like the two idiots they were, they burst out laughing.

And… the bell rang.

“Alright, fake-lovebirds,” Xavier said, winking at Lauren discretely. “Let’s get to class.”

Jack and Hiccup pulled each other off the floor, still laughing slightly. They summoned their book bags from their common room, and Hiccup sent Toothless back to the Ravenclaw common room.

Trudging to class, Jack and Hiccup got strange looks from everyone they passed. But, obviously, the two boys ignored them all, walking down the hallways talking and laughing as if nothing happened at breakfast (well, because honestly, they both didn’t really think it actually happened).

Classes flew by, Jack learning nothing but mesmerizing the way Hiccup looked when he was entranced by a subject. Jack smiled. If he was any good at drawing, that look would probably be the only thing he would draw. Pretty soon it was the end of their sixth class, Defense Against the Dark Arts. They learned almost nothing it that class; it was a chill class that taught you everything you needed to know and nothing you didn’t. Plus, Bunnymund didn’t want to teach something that wasn’t interesting to him, so why should the students suffer through it too?

Hiccup and Jack were the last ones in the classroom after the bell rang, talking about Sammy, who obviously asked Jack out the day before, and how miserable she looked.

“Poor Sammy,” Hiccup cooed. “Why’d you do it Jack? Why’d you break her innocent heart like that?” He said, pretending to cry dramatically into his hand.

“Because I was saving myself for you, Freckles!” Jack said, throwing himself at Hiccup and hugging tightly. Hiccup blushed profusely, but didn’t let it faze him; they were joking after all, right?

“Cut it out, ya lovebirds,” Bunnymund remarked from his desk. That’s when the two noticed they weren’t actually alone. Bunnymund was smiling at them though, giving Hiccup a knowing smile.

“Sorry sir,” Hiccup said, wrestling himself out of Jack’s grip.

“No need to be, Bitesize,” Bunny said, holding up a paw at him. “I heard you two are goin’ to the Ball together.”

“Yeah,” Jack said, throwing an arm around Hiccup’s shoulders for the countless time today. “As friends of course, you know, Kangaroo.”

“For the last bloody time, I am not a Kangaroo!” Bunny said, standing up and making to throw his boomerang at the white-haired boy.

“He’s just teasing you,” Hiccup said, elbowing Jack in the ribs harshly, who wasn’t fazed by it. “Jack has a thing for getting under people’s skin.” Bunnymund held in a laugh.

“Go do your homework, and don’t lie, because I know you got some.” Bunnymund said to the unbeknownst couple.

“Bye, Professor,” Hiccup said, extricating himself away from Jack yet again (though he would rather stay in his arms the whole day) and walked out of the classroom, Jack following him like a lost puppy.

Bunny just shook his head at the two. Everyone else probably couldn’t see it, but he knew that Bitesize and Frostbite liked each other. It was all a matter of time for them to figure it out for themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so silly~ Thank you for reading! I hope you're enjoying this story so far!  
> Stay safe, have a nice day, and I love you!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen: Preparations

** Jack’s P.O.V   **

We walked out of the classroom, away from the knowing eyes of the stupid Kangaroo. Why is it that people like staring at my soul? It was creepy! But then again, I did ask him to the Ball in a really cheesy way… ACK, why should it matter? We’re just going as friends, even if I want more. I wouldn’t do that to Hiccup.

“So, you heard that there’s going to be a trip to Hogsmeade on Saturday, right?” I asked, looking at Hiccup. He smiled at me, and nodded.

“Yeah, I was planning to get all my Christmas shopping done then, you know?” He said, his hair falling partially into his eyes. I brushed it back into place, but it wasn’t a stupid romantic gesture; I just simply flicked his bangs away. He hit my shoulder.

“You getting me anything?” I said, beaming. He rolled his eyes.

“Nope,” Hiccup said lightly. I frowned.

“Well, that’s not fair,” I pouted.

“Your face isn’t fair.” Hiccup remarked slyly.

“Oh, yeah, like that makes sense,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Wanna go with me to Hogsmeade, then?” I asked, stupidity slapping me in the face. _STUPID STUPID STUPID!_

“Sure,” Hiccup said, shrugging. “We need to get matching ties or something,” I looked at him, eyes wide. He laughed. “For the Ball, smart one. We’re going together, so we need to match.”

“This isn’t prom or something,” I said. It was cute that he was actually serious about the whole going-to-the-Ball-together thing. “But fine,” Hiccup smiled at me, and I shoved at his arm a little. He just laughed.

* * *

**...**

* * *

 

Saturday came in a flash, and it was like I didn’t know what hit me. Pretty soon, I was getting dressed, pulling on some black jeans and my usual blue hoodie. I debated on shoes, and I hesitantly pulled on my blue Vans, just to be sure. I checked my air in the mirror and brushed my teeth quickly.

“ _Ooooh_ , someone looks like they’re getting ready for a date,” Xavier cooed from behind me. I just rolled my eyes at him.

“It’s just Hogsmeade,” I said, more to myself than to Xavier. “And you’re going with Lauren so shut it!” I yelled at him.

“I’ll leave it open if I want to!” Xavier challenged. I held in my laugh. Why are all my friends dorks? Oh right, your friends are a reflection of you, duh.

“Then I’ll shut it for you!” I yelled back. We laughed. “Such a dork…” I muttered, wiping a nonexistent tear away from my eyes.

“Me? A dork?” Xavier asked, shocked. “Well, I’ll never…” He rolled his eyes at me. “C’mon, lover boy, let’s get some breakfast.”

“Do _not_ call me that!” I said, in a fierce whine (if anything could be called that).

“You’re only mad because it’s _true_!” Xavier said, singing the last word, the running down the stairs.

“Shut up!” I was yelling, scrambling after him and trying to tackle him. I forgot I had my wand, and I shot my favorite spell at his back, the Fern-Frost spell. So I made it up, deal with it.

“AH!” He yelled, squirming while we tried to claw the frost off his back. “No fair! COLD COLD COLD! No self-made spells!” He whined, shooting the counter-spell blindly at his back, missing the Fern-Frost spell by inches. Damn, I should have never taught him that. I had to laugh at him though. I walked up to him, and lightly touched the fern-like frost patterns with the tips of my fingers. The ice instantly melted.

“How do you always manage to do that?” Xavier asked incredulously.

“It’s a gift, I guess,” I said shrugging, leaving him to stare at me as I walked out the common room entrance and toward the Great Hall. I plopped down on a random bench, seeing how Hiccup and Lauren were nowhere to be found, and piled my plate with food. Xavier was behind me, eating everything he could get his hands on, his eyes glinting a deep blue in the light.

“Do you notice your eyes change color?” I asked, pointing my fork at him, my mouth full of potatoes. He looked at me, wide-eyed, and he started to laugh.

“C’mon Jack,” He said. “You’ve known me for years, my eyes don’t change color.”

“Yeah, they do actually. I’ve always thought it was a trick of the light, but now I’m not so sure…” I said, looking into his eyes, pretty sure that I saw his soul somewhere, hiding from my wandering eye.

“It _is_ the trick of the light,” Xavier said, huffily.

“Whatever you say,” I said, stuffing another mouthful of potatoes in my mouth, looking at him as if I knew he had a secret. He did have a secret. We were friends. Why wasn’t he telling me? There was a name for people who could change their appearance at will, I just forgot it! Dang…

* * *

 

** Hiccup’s P.O.V    **

Lauren was waiting for me outside the Ravenclaw common room. I quickly pulled on some jeans and a forest-green sweatshirt, topped off with (as always) my fur boots and vest. I just needed them; they reminded me of home. I bounced down the stairs, a little nervously to be honest. It helped that Toothless was at my heels though.

I clambered out of the common room, only to be met with a beaming Lauren, her eyes shining almost victoriously in the morning light.

“Well, hello Ms. Sunshine,” I said, shooting her a smile. She smiled back, as Toothless jumped into her arms lovingly.

“Hello to you, Mr. Ready-For-Winter.” She said, looking over my outfit. All she was wearing was jeans, a tank top, and a light sweater, her raccoon hat topping her head as her long hair flowed down her back.

“What?” I said defensively. “It’s comfortable okay?”

“I never said anything against it,” She said, her eyebrows raised. We started to walk down the spiral staircase, and soon we were walking down the corridor. Lauren was scratching Toothless behind the ear affectionately as she held him.

“Ready for your date today?” She asked. I was really hoping she would forget something like this, but apparently nothing slips her mind.

I groaned, my hand slapping my forehead and dragging down my face dramatically. “For the seven hundred and forty-fourth time, it’s not a date!”

“C’mon now Hiccup, think logically.” Lauren said, giving a deadpanned look in my direction. “You two are going to Hogsmeade together. That’s what is considered a date.”

“It’s a joke,” I said, convinced. “We’re going to Madame Rae’s to look at some ties for the Ball. That’s it. It’s not like we’re gonna stop by at Madame Puddifoot’s.” I said rolling my eyes at her. (Madame Puddifoot’s, just so you know, is a little coffee and tea shop where couples go to make out and be sprinkled with heart-shaped confetti.)

“Yes,” Lauren said, “but you two are going together, alone, hanging out the whole day, in public… you have to catch my drift, Hiccup, because the list will go on forever.”

“Yes, yes,” I said irritated. “I catch your drift, but I still refuse to call this a date.”

“Why do you always have to be so god-dang stubborn?” Lauren whined, spilling Toothless on the floor and tugging at my sweatshirt sleeve.

“Because I’m a Viking, it’s hereditary.” I said, my face struggling to stay serious.

“You’re impossible,” Lauren muttered, letting go of my arm. “I can’t believe I even try anymore.”

“Try?” I asked. “When have you _tried_ anything?”

“Nothing!” Lauren sang, skipping the rest of the way to the Great Hall, Toothless following her, glancing back at me every once in a while. I rolled my eyes at the both of them.

Finding a seat next to Xavier, I sat down and piled some food onto a plate. Toothless was already eating his fish, and Lauren was sitting next to Jack, the two have a whisper-fight as if no one was around. They must have put up a spell or something, because their lips were moving, but no sound was making its way towards my ears.

“Morning Hiccup,” Xavier said with a wry, knowing smile.

“Morning Xavier.” I said, taking a huge bite of some pancakes that were on my plate, absolutely soaked with syrup. “Excited for Hogsmeade?” I asked through the mouthful. Xavier laughed.

“You look like a chipmunk,” He said, rolling his eyes at me. “Yeah I am, Lauren and I are gonna see what we can do for Christmas presents, you know?”

“You and Lauren, huh?” I asked, quirking my eyebrow up at him. Xavier nodded. “Well, that little hypocrite,” I mumbled, swearing revenge on her later.

“What?” Xavier asked.

“Nothing,” I said, taking another bite. Xavier just rolled his eyes at me. Somehow, we were good friends. It was weird. I didn’t really know a lot about him, aside from the fact that he plays Quidditch, is Jack’s friend, and has a crush on Lauren. But every time he looks at me, I feel like he knows a lot more than he should… as if he knew my soul inside and out, but he just wouldn’t let on about it… it was the creepiest feeling, but he was always good for a laugh, so I didn’t say anything.

“That’s… that’s all I’m saying,” Jack said, his voice finally audible.

“Whatever,” Lauren said, rolling her eyes.

“Well, welcome back to society, you two.” Xavier said, inspecting an apple and taking a bite out of it.

“It’s a pleasure to be back,” Lauren quipped nicely, picking up an orange and peeling it manually.

“You know you could just wave your wand and have that done with, right?” Jack asked. Then he looked at me. “Morning, Freckles,” He said, his smile almost splitting his face in half. I smiled back, my eyes squinting.

“Morning, Frosty,” I say back.

“I _know_ , Jack, but I don’t want to have to wave my wand for everything,” Lauren said. “And I have to get used to doing stuff without magic if I’m going to be home for Christmas,”

“What?” I asked. “You’re going home?”

“Well, yeah,” She said.

“I am too,” Xavier commented. “Family time, you know?” No, I didn’t know.

“Both of you, dang this is gonna suck!” I whined, my pancakes forgotten. I was going to spend my Christmas alone, in a cold and boring castle, with only a couple people who I didn’t know for company. Just like last year. _Perfect_.

“Wait, you aren’t going home for Christmas?” Jack asked.

“I don’t go home for Christmas,” I said. “My dad’s always working, and he doesn’t want me home alone, so I just stay here.”

“Well, you aren’t going to be alone this year,” Jack said, rolling his eyes.

“What?” I asked.

“I’m staying too,” Jack said, a smile on his face. “I don’t think I can go home for Christmas after what happened last year,” His smile faltered a little, but then Lauren put her hand on his shoulder.

“It’s okay,” She said quietly. Jack smiled at her.

“Don’t be such a downer!” Xavier said loudly, standing up. “It’s Christmas! Where’s your cheer?” He was a little bit more enthusiastic than anyone, but it succeeded on getting us out of this somber mood that we were in.

“Down the toilet with your good looks!” Jack said, laughing, earning a glare from Xavier.

“Do we really have to start this again?” Xavier said. Jack just laughed and stuck his tongue out.

* * *

 

** … **

* * *

 

“So, you ready to get going?” Jack asked me, raising his eyebrows. I had to smile, his face was ridiculous.

“Of course,” I said. “Are you?” He just laughed at me.

“I was born ready!” He said, offering his arm to me. I didn’t hesitant to slip my arm into him, linking arms, no matter how stupid. It’s not like anything could go wrong. We were already getting a lot of unusual attention, you know, because we were going to the Ball together (as _friends_ , I had to remind myself daily). We marched down the road towards Hogsmeade.

Madame Rae’s was a quaint little shop, specializing in dress robes, dresses, cuff links, and ties. It was almost always over-looked by the visitors of Hogmeade, but in reality, they had some really good, quality items. I would go in sometimes, looking around the store for some new cuff links for my dad, or a dress design for my friend Astrid back home.

So, once Jack and I stepped into Madame Rae’s, the sole owner of the shop shot a smile my way.

“Hiccup!” She squealed. She was a short woman, and was a little on the chubby side. She had little hands and nimble fingers, wild shoulder-blade length mouse-brown hair. Her plump cheeks always tinted red.

“Hello, Rae,” I said, not even bothering to call her ‘Madame’; she would slap me upside the head if I did.

“You are probably here because of the Ball, am I right?” She asked, walking behind a counter and disappearing slightly.

“Yep,” I called, ignoring the way Jack’s mouth sagged open in surprise. “My friend and I are going together, and I was wondering if you had any matching ties we could use.”

“Of course I have matching-!” Rae was yelling back cheerfully, when she came into view again, and finally seeing Jack. “Oh!” She said, bustling over. “Who’s this?” She asked, looking Jack over with a critical eye.

“This is my friend, Jack,” I said, seeing how he was scared out of his mind while he was getting checked out by Rae. “We’re going to the ball together,”

Rae had a hearing issue. You needed to tell her things repeatedly, or she won’t hear it. Today, it bothered the hell out of me. I didn’t want to have to explain over and over again why Jack was here and why I needed matching ties for the two of us!

“Oh, that is too cute!” Rae squealed, pinching my cheeks slightly. I blushed, while Jack laughed into his hand. “So what do you boys need?”

“Oh um, so really cool, matching ties.” Jack said, finally speaking up. “We kinda want to make a statement,”

“We don’t want to ‘make a statement,’” I said, finger-air-quotations by my head. “It’s just that…”

“You two want to look like you are actually going together, I get it, boys,” She said, finishing my sentence for me. “So, judging by how you boys look… hm…” She said, walking back behind the desk and disappearing once more. “IF ANYONE COMES IN, TELL ‘EM I’M CLOSED, AND STAY PUT!” She yelled at us.

“Got it!” Jack yelled back, wandering around the store. “So, how do you know her?” He asked me, eyebrows raised and a smirk on his face.

“I buy my dad’s Christmas presents here,” I said with a shrug.

“Interesting,” Jack said, oddly looking at a dress with sparkling eyes. He took it off the rack, showing me that it was a flowing emerald green dress. “You would look good in this, Frecks,” He said, laughing.

“Ha ha, very funny Jack,” I said, rolling my eyes. He just laughed, and ran over to me, dress still in hand.

“No no, hear me out,” Jack said.

“I am _not_ putting on the dress,” I said, folding my arms over my chest.

“I’m not asking you to,” He said rolling his eyes.

He turned me around and pushed me with his other hand, leading me to a mirror that wasn’t far away. He stood slightly behind me as he put the dress in front of me, making it look as though I was wearing it. I looked weird in a dress. The thing fell down to my knees, you know if I was actually wearing it, and would probably show off my very bony neck and chest.

“Aw, don’t you look cute~” Jack said, batting his eyes and pouting at me. I pushed his face away, snatching the dress away and putting it back on one of the racks.

“I’m not _cute_ , Frosty,” I said, my eyes rolling for the countless time that day. “I’m your worst nightmare,”

“Oh, I’m shaking with fear,” Jack said sarcastically. My eyes fell on an ice blue dress, with glitter dashed all over it. I smirked and picked it up. Thankfully, Jack was turned around, so I snuck up behind him, dress in hand. I turned him around and lined the dress up in front of him.

“What the-? Hey!” He exclaimed.

“Well, don’t you look adorable,” I quipped, my bottom lip jutting out as I looked at him with the dress. It actually looked okay on him.

“Gee, thanks Hiccup,” Jack said genuinely. “All I need is some heels and we’ll be good to go for the Ball,”

“Oh yeah?” I challenged. “Like you can walk in heels,” I pulled the dress away, and hung it back up. I turned away, and Jack’s face was _right there_. Our noses were touching and his crystal blue eyes were looking into mine. My heart was practically audible as I struggled to stay still.

“Honestly,” Jack said, his smirk becoming a little sheepish and a lot less confident. “I was about to say something… but I just totally forgot,” I laughed, looking at the floor briefly before looking at the person in front of me again.

“Yeah?” I asked, my smile becoming wider than usual.

“Boys!” Madame Rae sang, coming back into view carrying two hangers in her hands. Jack moved away from me, my face free to heat up even more. I sort of forgot Rae was even here. How long were we like that, exactly?

“Here!” She said, showing a hanger in my hands, the other in Jack’s. “Both of you try these on! Changing rooms are over there!” I shared a look with Jack, and he just shrugged at me, making his way toward the changing rooms.

I locked myself in my own little room, and I pulled the white cover off of the hanger, revealing what was there. My eyes popped open and my jaw dropped. There, right in front of me, was a three piece suit, complete with a forest green tie. I slipped on the suit, doing all the necessary buttons and slinging the tie around my neck, but not tying it. I wandered out of the changing room, back to where Madame Rae was.

“OH!” Rae exclaimed. “You look amazing! Perfect fit too!” She sounded pleased.

“Yeah, I was wondering about that…” I said. “How did you do this? You didn’t take measurements or anything!”

“Intuition, Hiccup, that’s all anything is,” Rae said, not clarifying anything. Then Jack wandered out of his changing room, looking absolutely _hot_ in his identical suit, but his tie was a neat navy blue.

“Does this look okay?” He said, almost nervously. All I did was stare.

* * *

 

** Jack’s P.O.V  **

Was there something on my face? Did I put something on wrong? What was with Hiccup? Why was he staring at me? Argh! QUIT IT!

“No no, dearie,” Rae said. “You boys look fine.”

“Is… this is all for us?” I asked, shocked. Surely it couldn’t be…?

“Of course it is!” Madame Rae exclaimed. “Now, these ties are special, okay? When it’s dark, they’ll sparkle and glow like stars.”

“Really?” Hiccup asked, looking down at his green tie in excitement. He looked _really good_ in his suit. I held in my smile. Rae rolled her eyes and waved her wand, the lights going out. Something flickered feebly, and then light was thrown around the room. Green light bloomed from around Hiccup’s neck, making him look like he was from a different planet, while blue light surrounded me. The green brought out Hiccup’s eyes, making them glow along with his tie. And then the lights flickered back on.

“You wanted to make a statement?” Rae asked. “Well, you got one, alright! Get changed, you two, and I’ll send those to the school.”

“No… no charge?” Hiccup asked, confused. Well, aint he adorable when he’s flustered…?

“Nope, you’ll be returning them right after the Ball, you got that?” Rae said.

“Yes ma’am!” I said, laughing. I went to my changing room and peeled off the suit neatly, trying not to wrinkle it. I hung it back on the hanger and placed the white covering back on it. Then I walked out of the tiny room, the same time Hiccup did.

“Your hair’s messed up,” Hiccup pointed out. Instantly, my hand flew up to my hair. He just laughed at me. “I was just kidding. You look okay,”

“Right back at ‘cha, Frecks,” I said. I nearly slapped myself. Why would I say that? But it was worth it; Hiccup’s cheeks flooded with red, as he tried to suppress his smile. We handed our suits back to Madame Rae, and she shooed us out of the store, saying that our suits should be in our rooms by the time we get back to the school.

Hiccup and I walked around a bit, him clutching his sweater while I was tempted to take mine off. It was nice out, and by ‘nice’ I mean not freezing. It wasn’t snowing, which was odd. It should be snowing… I loved snow…

We walked into Honeyduke’s, and bought some candy, some for presents and some to erode our teeth. Then, feeling sympathy for Hiccup, we went into the very crowded Three Broomsticks.

“Hiya boys!” the lady at the bar said cheerfully. “What can I getcha?”

“B-butterbeer, please,” Hiccup chattered.

“No!” I said, looking between Hiccup and the lady.

“Why not? It’s freezing out!” Hiccup argued. We didn’t really notice that we were making a scene, but in reality we were.

“Remember the Potions incident?” I asked, having it be the first time I’ve ever brought that embarrassing day up. Hiccup flushed again, nodding. “Yeah I thought so. I’m pretty sure we don’t need Butterbeer.” I said, turning to the lady. “Two hot chocolates, please.” I asked politely, sitting down next to Hiccup.

“Thanks for bringing _that_ one up,” Hiccup muttered, his face almost hidden in his hands. I pushed his hands away from his face, so he was looking right at me.

“Sorry, but I don’t want you drunk again,” I said.

“Overprotective, much?” Hiccup asked, his dorky smile lighting up his face. I had to smile at him. His eyes were so green, and that was brought out even more by the faint blush still stuck on his cheeks. His hands were cold, and for some reason, I was clutching one from across the table. I pulled it away, stowing it into my hoodie pocket.

“Just a little… maybe,” I said, laughing.

“Here ya go boys,” The lady said, bringing us two hot mugs for chocolaty goodness with whipped cream and peppermint shavings on top. Hiccup licked his lips as he took his mug graciously. I bit mine, thinking too much about the little gesture. I paid the nice lady and took my mug. I nearly burned my hands, but I held onto it.

“Okay, so maybe I forgive you,” Hiccup said, taking a sip of the drink. “This is the best hot chocolate ever!” He looked at me, and the corners of his mouth and upper lip were coated with whipped cream (looking a bit wrong if you have a dirty mind like me). I felt myself heat up as I stared at him.

“What?” Hiccup asked innocently.

“You uh… got something right here…” I said, reaching over and brushing the whipped cream from one corner of his mouth. He blushed more, and wiped the rest away hurriedly.

“Thanks,” He said, smiling sheepishly.

I took a sip of my hot chocolate, the back of my mouth getting burned viciously, but I sucked it down, not wanting to look at Hiccup. My dirty mind just had to give me that picture of white stuff all around his mouth, now didn’t it? I hate my life… The hot chocolate was really good, the chocolate and the peppermint tastes blending together perfectly, defining Christmas in one sip. It was heavenly. _Focus on the drink, Frost, focus on the drink…_

“Jack… is it me, or are people staring at us?” Hiccup asked quietly. Indeed they were. Everyone was sneaking glances at us, secretively or not, and whispering to their friends.

“Oh, they are,” I said, finishing off my hot chocolate and slamming it down on the table and standing up abruptly. I was tired of this. Just because we were going to the Ball together, doesn’t mean that everyone has to be freaking tripping balls over it!

“C’mon Hiccup, let’s go,” I said, while he took his last swig of his drink and set it down lightly. He stood up and we walked out. My arm snaked around his shoulders some point in time, and I could have sworn that he didn’t hesitate to wrap his arm around my side, bringing us closer together. I sighed. This was nice…

Let alone, people stared at us more, and it drove me crazy, but Hiccup kept me anchored to my sanity. I was grateful, because without it, probably anyone who set eyes on us would get a tongue-lashing by yours truly.

So our trek into the castle didn’t last long, and we regretfully let go of each other (or was it only me that regretted it?) as we walked into the great, huge, oak doors that oddly enough didn’t make a sound. Our pockets were full of Christmas presents for our loved ones.

“Well, that was fun,” I said, smacking my lips, breaking the silence that enveloped us since we left the Three Broomsticks.

“Yeah, what about those ties, huh?” Hiccup said, smiling at me.

“Madame Rae does have some pretty... original ideas,” I said nodding, thinking about the glowing ties. We were sure to get more attention with those things around our necks, but, to be completely honest, thinking about dancing with Hiccup could my mind off everything.

“Yep,” Hiccup said. “She’s always been like that. But it’s cool, her designs are really killer.”

“Killer?” I asked. He just glared at me a little.

“Yes, killer. Do you have a problem?” He asked, a little innocently.

“No, no I’m good.” I said. “Did you hear about the music dilemma for the Ball?” I asked suddenly.

“What?” Hiccup answered, confused.

“Yeah, apparently there’s a fight about what music’s gonna play at the Ball, so North set up the jar that takes requests for songs, like any song.” I said.

“That’s awesome! I should throw a couple in there…” Hiccup said, trailing off and biting his lip. I raised my index finger at him.

“There’s a catch though.” I said dramatically. “The location of this jar changes every day, and no one knows where it’s at. It’s sort of like a game, you see?”

“Hmm…” Hiccup said, thinking. “Lemme guess? You know where it is right now?” He said, looking up at me expectantly. I broke out into a grin.

“Yup. Wanna go check it out?”

“Heck yeah!”

* * *

…

* * *

 

We stood there, crammed into a little niche in the hallway, Hiccup scribbling songs onto parchment while I kept watch for anyone who was coming. He must have wrote, like, ten onto the little scrap, but he made it work. He kissed the paper lightly.

“Good luck,” He whispered dramatically to the paper as he dropped it into the jar, automatically disappearing. He turned around, and he looked at me with a triumphant grin. “Did it!” He said.

“Cool,” I said, just noticing how close we were, and moved out of the niche, almost falling into the hallway when Hiccup caught my arm. “Thanks, Frecks,” _Huh, he was stronger than I thought…_

“No problem,” He said lightly.

“What songs did you put in?” I asked innocently as we strolled down the hallway again, as if we owned it.

“Eh, just some American songs that I can’t get out of my head right now,” Hiccup said, shrugging, his smile becoming intoxicating.

“Don’t go all _American_ on me, Frecks,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Seriously, you act like I don’t know music!”

“Fine, I put a song by Maroon 5, OneRepublic, Passenger…” He listed counting them off on his fingers and looking to the ceiling as if it’ll help him remember.

“I have no idea who you’re talking about,” I said blankly, my face as straight as anything. Hiccup gave one look at me and laughed out loud.

“Exactly,” He breathed. “Just… just never mind,” He said, wiping his eyes of actual tears that were coming to his eyes.

“It really isn’t that funny,” I deadpanned. “I mean, just because you know some really weird music doesn’t mean we all do,”

“It’s only because I spend the summer in America with nothing to listen to but the radio and a couple CD’s, okay?” Hiccup argued. “Besides, I’m positive that if you like that magical music _stuff_ that you guys listen to, you’ll like my music.”

“‘Magical music stuff’?” I asked, shocked. “Those are classics, and hey, we have the Wyvern Sisters!” I mentioned, naming the coolest magic band that I could come up with.

“Yeah, _classics_ ,” Hiccup scoffed. “Not to be mean or anything, but I’m sure Maroon 5 is better than the Wyvern Sisters by a long-shot.”

“What?!?” I said, throwing my hands in the air. I took a deep breath and my hands found my white hair. “Let’s just… agree to disagree.”

“I hate that saying,” Hiccup mumbled, as if I couldn’t hear him. “But sure, whatever you say.”

The rest of that day passed relatively uneventful. Hiccup and Jack found Toothless, and Jack fawned over the cat (though he would punch you in the face if you said anything about it). Then, Lauren and Xavier found them laying down in the grass, and the four (okay, okay, _five_ , including Toothless) relaxed until dinner time. They ate dinner, and parted ways into their own dormitories. Even thought it was Sunday the next day, they were all exhausted from the trip to Hogsmeade.

Jack sat on his bed, prodding his cheek with his wand as he thought, ignoring Xavier’s comments about him and Hiccup in Hogsmeade today. Jack was thinking about what he was going to make for Hiccup’s Christmas present. No, he wasn’t technically a procrastinator; he had an idea after all, he was just having trouble executing his plan. He finally sighed, climbing off his bed, under the watchful and curious eye of Xavier, and walked to the window.

“Okay, let’s do this…” Jack muttered. “ _Frosti Maximanum_ ,” he said, pointing his wand at the clear window in front of him. The window bloomed with the fern-patterned frost that resulted from the spell. Carefully and precisely, he traced a beautiful snowflake design onto the window with his finger.

“Jack, what are you-?” Xavier started to asked before he was cut off.

“Shut up,” Jack said, without giving his friend a glance. He was staring intently looking at the snowflake he traced onto the window. Deeming it good enough, he raised his wand. “ _Frosti Animaitus_ ,” He muttered again. The snowflake peeled off the window, gingerly floating down as if it was a real snowflake and rested in Jack’s hand.

“Whoa,” Xavier said, wide-eyed and looking at the snowflake with wonder. “How did you do that?” He walked over to Jack.

“New spell I was trying out.” Jack replied blandly. “Looks like it worked.”

“Are you ever going to stop experimenting with those spells, Jack?” Xavier asked, looking at him with judging eyes.

“No, not really,” Jack said. He’s been experimenting with ice and frost spells for about two years now, and he’s gotten really good at it. He made his own spells of course, but they worked really well, better than all the other spells actually.

“Then tell me about your latest craze then,” Xavier said, knowing the drill. Jack always talked to him about his new spells (and coincidentally he was the test dummy on most of them, especially the defensive ones).

“Well, this is supposed to be animated frost.” Jack explained excitedly. “It never melts, and its… well, it’s supposed to be worn around someone’s neck like a necklace. Whenever the wearer’s in trouble… it should cause a diversion and let the wearer escape.”

“That’s… pretty specific,” Xavier said.

“Well…” Jack said, walking to his bed and pulling out a silver chain. He laced the chain through the snowflake, and there! It was a necklace.

“I don’t think I have to ask who it’s for, huh?” Xavier said, smiling smugly. Jack frowned and stuck his tongue out at him.

“Shut up,” Jack muttered. “What did you get Lauren?” Xavier just shrugged.

“I got her _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ , you know how she’s always reading those little kid stories,” Xavier said.

“Thoughtful,” Jack said. He gingerly placed the little snowflake into a tiny box, curling the chain under it gently. “Well, I’m tired. Night.” Jack then climbed into bed and fell asleep. Xavier rolled his eyes at his friend’s actions, and soon fell asleep afterwards.

* * *

 

…

* * *

 

“C’mon, this _has_ to work!” Hiccup muttered, sitting at a little desk with a lamp as the only source of light. Toothless wasn’t sitting far away (actually, he was sitting on top of the desk, watching Hiccup’s latest invention-craze).

In front of Hiccup, were two 6 inch pieces of parchment, both of them blank, and a book filled with rare spells. He hand his wand in his left hand, his right hand clutching his hair as he read through the rare spell book again.

_Transferius Paramentay_.

Without ever learning a spell, it was difficult trying to decipher just what exactly the book needed him to do, as in the movements of his wand and such. Hiccup sighed, coming up with another interpretation of the directions, and shared a wary look at Toothless.

“Sixth time’s the charm, right bud?” Hiccup asked quietly.

Toothless just rolled his eyes. As much as the dragon-stuck-as-a-cat wanted to go flying, he would always be next to Hiccup, even if classes permitted him not to. Nothing would stop him from being by his boy now. Toothless has been watching the five previous failed attempts of Hiccup to master this spell; for some reason it was really important, and the boy wouldn’t rest until he got it right. Of course, Hiccup has been doing research on this kind of magic weeks before this, but this is his first time actually putting his knowledge to the test.

Hiccup eyed the papers warily. _Let’s do this_ , He thought.

“ _Transferius Paramentay_!” Hiccup whispered furiously, twirled his wand thrice in tight circles and pointing sharply toward the first paper. Extraordinarily, a jet of jet-black light shot from his wand and struck the paper, the light spreading around its surface like an ink blot.

Hurriedly, Hiccup whispered the spell again, making the movements of his wand identical to the ones that he did before. Another blast of black light struck the other paper, spreading around in the exact same manner as the first. Hiccup nearly jumped for joy.

Toothless, on the other hand, was scared out of his wits. He honestly didn’t think anything would have happened; his boy tried it five times before, how would this time around be any different? But, finally, Hiccup unlocked the secret to the lost art of Parchment Communication.

Parchment Communication was basically like instant messaging or texting of the early fifteenth century. Soon, the messages became lost and the spells made to make Parchment Communication possible faded away with what seemed like time itself. Parchment Communication was just as such: communication by parchment. Writing notes. But with a twist; what you write on one paper, it shows up on the other. If two people had these two pieces of parchment Hiccup just charmed, they could be in different dimensions and still have communication by the parchment itself.

Hiccup smiled, and almost dropped his wand as he restlessly scrambled around to find his pen. Upon finding it, he pulled the cap off with his teeth, and scrawled two letters onto one of the pieces of parchment.

‘ _Hi_ ’ it read. In a flourish, the ink disappeared, and in a similar fashion, appeared on the other piece of parchment.

Hiccup nearly fainted. It worked. It _actually_ worked! He could have probably screamed in happiness, and China would have known of his achievements, but he kept it all in, for the sake of his House mates. And, he heard somewhere that this type of magic wasn’t allowed in Hogwarts… great. All the more reason for him to love it…

Hiccup rubbed Toothless affectionately on top of his head, gathering up all of his things in his arms. He made his way up the semi-blue marble staircases and padded to his dorm silently. His roommates were dead asleep. Hiding the Parchment Communication papers in his trunk, he climbed into bed and fell fast asleep.

Toothless just rolled his eyes at his boy. He was stressing himself out for weeks all for _paper_? Well, there was nothing he could do about it, so he snuggled up to Hiccup’s chest, curled into a ball, and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The two spells that Hiccup and Jack cast at the end are mine! I made them up for this! Thanks for reading!


	16. The Ball

Chapter Sixteen: The Ball

The next coming week was absolutely brutal. Classes were relentless as the Christmas Break hung loosely overhead. Every teacher forced each student to stop daydreaming and pay attention to their classes, and do their homework, and really work hard until the last dying minutes of school before the Christmas Ball and the vacation.

Friday finally came, and Hiccup and Jack were shaking on the inside, but as strong and stubborn as rocks on the outside. Friday: the day of the Christmas Ball. At seven o’clock sharp, both Hiccup and Jack were up and already in their uncomfortable uniforms. They were really scared for the rest of the day, but let hell break loose if they let the other know that!

Suddenly, Headmaster North burst into the Great Hall, surrounded by a hoard of pleading girls.

“ _Please_ Headmaster, we need all day to get ready!...”

“My hair is going to take me at least an hour!...”

“I’m going to ditch class if you don’t cancel them!...”

That last remark seemed to break North as he turned around and stared hard at every one of the girls.

“Fine, classes are cancel for today.” He said. Hiccup and Jack, overhearing all this, just looked at each other in disbelief. Never in the history of Hogwarts has a day of classes be cancelled. “I’ll make the announcement,” North muttered. All the girls cheered and squealed and giggled, jumping around happily and clapping their hands in the most girlish way possible.

North waved his wand, and out of nowhere, small ice-figurine owls appeared flying all around. With a flick of his wand, the owls North conjured scattered, flying all around the castle to inform all the students and teachers about the absence of classes that day.

“Well, go get ready for Ball! You beg me so much, now get to it!” North said jollily.

“Thank you, Headmaster!” All the girls screamed, out of sync I might add, and ran out of the Great Hall, tossing their hair back and talking excitedly about what their plans were.

“Thank the gods they’re gone,” Hiccup muttered, clutching the sides of his head. “I thought we were in the middle of a school of dolphins.”

“As far as I know, we were,” Jack muttered back, a small smirk gracing his features. Hiccup, running a hand through his messy auburn hair, smiled back.

“So we got the day off!” He said, pumping his fists into the air triumphantly.

“Yay!” Jack said, mimicking Hiccup’s movements. For the sake of it, they high-fived dramatically and fell back into their seats laughing. “Great, nothing to do all day…” Jack finally sighed. “And it isn’t even snowing!”

“You’re really going to be depressed because it’s not snowing?” Hiccup asked. Jack was so weird sometimes; the littlest things could bring him down.

“Snow is the best, and the first snow of the season usually comes by now and, ugh!” Jack said, slapping his head on the table. “You don’t understand, Frecks… I need snow to _survive_!”

“Oh, stop being over dramatic,” Hiccup said, reaching over the table to mess up Jack’s white already-messy hair. What possessed him to do so… just don’t ask. He doesn’t know.

Hidden by the table, Jack let an unadulterated smile of pure giddiness and bliss spread across his face. Hiccup’s fingertips grazed his scalp slightly, and Jack could barely tell what he was feeling when the touch was taken away. Jack looked up, suppressing his smile a tad, and focused on Hiccup.

“I’m not being over dramatic,” Jack shot back. “Maybe you’re just being under dramatic!”

“That makes absolutely no sense,” Hiccup quipped.

“To you, maybe, but that’s because you’re brain’s too small to comprehend what an intellect like myself is saying,” Jack said, pulling on his Hogwarts collar in a gesture of superiority.

“You wish!” Hiccup said. “We both know that statement is false!”

“Don’t try to prove that you’re smarter than me now, Frecks, because it’s just not possible!” Jack replied with so much seriousness, it made Hiccup collapse in laughter.

“You’re so… dumb!” Hiccup breathed before he really got over his laughter attack. “So, a day of nothing, huh?” He asked, recovered. “What are we gonna do?”

“Toothless?” Jack asked innocently.

“Absolutely not!” Hiccup answered. “There’s going to be too many people out to do anything!”

“To do what?” Lauren asked, walking in suddenly.

“Nothing!” The two boys sang in sync. Lauren laughed at them.

“Goofballs,” She said lovingly to them. “So, no classes, huh?” She asked.

“Yup, but don’t you have to do your hair or something?” Jack asked. Lauren shot him a glance. He couldn’t be serious, right?

“What?” Lauren asked. “Do you really think I care how I look at the Ball?”

“I mean, sort of, “Hiccup said, coming to Jack’s somewhat rescue. “You are going with Xavier…” He trailed off. Lauren went scarlet. She glared daggers at the both of them, all the while her mouth running like a motor.

“W-what does that have to do with-? I mean, yeah I-! But that doesn’t mean-! Oh, just shut up you two!” Lauren said, stuffing a piece of toast in her mouth and munching on it unhappily. Hiccup and Jack just laughed at her flustered response.

“I hate you right now…” Lauren said after she swallowed her toast, glaring at the two of them.

“Oh, come on… It’s Christmas!” Jack yelled, shaking her shoulders gently. She batted him off.

“Loor…” Hiccup said, his voice on the verge of becoming a whine. “You know you love us…” She glared at him, and he just looked at her innocently, batting his eyelashes. (The look on his face made Jack blush, even if it wasn’t directed at him.)

“Believe what you want to, it doesn’t matter to me,” Lauren said, indifferent. But she couldn’t help but smile a bit.

“What doesn’t matter to you?” Someone said. Three heads whipped around, to see Xavier sitting down next to Hiccup, across from Lauren and Jack. Lauren crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Jack just smiled at him. Hiccup sighed.

“She doesn’t care that we love her,” Hiccup said in the most serious voice possible. Xavier blinked a couple times, a baffled look masking his face.

“What, are you suicidal or something?” He asked Lauren. She uncrossed her arms and picked up another piece of toast.

“Not really,” Lauren said. “I would rather kill myself then wear my dress, but I guess I’m going to have to…”

“You’ll look fine,” Xavier reassured with a kind smile. Lauren and Xavier’s eyes met for a brief moment, and something clicked. But Hiccup and Jack had to ruin the moment. That’s what annoying guy friends were for, right?

“Wait, what?” Jack asked, snorting. He couldn’t believe that Lauren… Hiccup voiced his current thought.

“You _actually_ have a dress?!” Hiccup said, his eyes wide. Lauren blushed, and looked away from Xavier.

“Of course I have a dress!” Lauren replied indignantly. “Do you think I’m going to the Ball in some jeans and a tee shirt?”

“Pretty much…” Jack said, shrugging a bit. No one could really imagine Lauren in a dress… it was like trying to imagine a lion wearing a princess costume and singing a Broadway song; it wasn’t really possible, but when you managed to come up with something, you either leave disturbed or laughing hysterically.

“You guys are jerks…” Lauren said. “What about you two? What are you wearing to the Ball?” Hiccup and Jack looked at each other, their faces breaking out in almost identical grins.

“It’s definitely…” Hiccup started, but he lost the words. How would you describe glowing ties?

“Definitely going to make a statement.” Jack finished, both boys nodding their heads in unison. Hiccup couldn’t have said it better. Madame Rae had the courtesy to send the boy’s suits to their rooms, and they were currently hanging up, ready to be worn.

“Oh, gee, thank you for that detailed description,” Xavier said, rolling his eyes.

“You’re welcome!” Jack said, popping out of his seat. “C’mon Hiccup, let’s leave them… _alone_.” Hiccup stood up, sniggering under his breath, and the two of them walked out of the Great Hall, holding in their laughter until they cleared the large doors. Nonetheless, Lauren and Xavier could still hear their giggles from down the hall. Lauren just rolled her eyes.

“They are such idiots…” She said.

“I hope your plan goes like it’s planned,” Xavier commented. “Because one: their oblivion is getting annoying, and two: if it doesn’t work out, you wore a dress for nothing…”

Lauren bit her lip, suddenly feeling anxious about the Ball. “I hope it works out too…” She muttered.

* * *

Hiccup and Jack spent a good portion of the day wandering the empty corridors of Hogwarts. The girls were all in their common rooms, doing their hair, make-up, yadda yadda yadda. The boys were chillin’ but just not in the castle. Why it didn’t occur to the two of them to escape to the Room of Requirement, no one was really sure.

Both (fairly oblivious) boys were nervous about what was going to happen later that day. They didn’t voice it, but they harbored the feeling in the pit of their stomachs, letting it fester and build up to the point where each of them felt like they needed to throw up. They were fatefully walking past the Great Hall, talking about the joys of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, when North waved them over from inside the Hall.

“Are you boys doing anything?” North asked. Hiccup and Jack looked at each other, then back at the Headmaster.

“Um, no, why?” Hiccup replied.

“GOOD!” North exclaimed, making the two boys jump. “I need some help setting up the Hall for the Ball.”

“Hehee… that rhymed,” Jack commented. Hiccup punched him lightly in the arm.

“Of course, Professor,” Hiccup replied cheerfully.

So, the rest of their afternoon was helping to decorate the Great Hall for the Christmas Ball. Lights were hung around the room, ornaments covered the huge pine trees that were everywhere, green, red and silver streamers streaked the sky-charmed ceiling, food tables were set up along the walls, as well as tables with fancy chairs and Christmas decorations on them, the DJ table was set up where the Teacher’s Table usually was. The Great Hall looked amazing.

Hiccup and Jack looked around at everything in awe, and then they set to work again. Tweaking ornaments to twinkle just right in the light, making sure the holiday light bulbs were ready to go. They were a great team when they wanted something done. Jack even made elaborate paper snowflake cut-outs and plastered them on the walls and decorated the edges of tables with the lot of them.

Hiccup was on a ladder (not a good thing for an accident-prone person like himself), and was trying to exchange a burnt-out light bulb. It was a bit out of his reach, and he fell off the ladder, which was about ten feet high. Jack, who was conveniently spotting him on the ladder, swooped in and caught him. Jack set the startled boy on the ground.

“T-thanks…” Hiccup said, looking at Jack with a grateful smile. Jack’s hands were on his hips, and Hiccup’s hands were curled in by his chest. Jack, noticing the position they were in, tapped Hiccup’s nose lightly and moved away.

“No problem,” He said lightly, and they got back to work shortly afterwards.

The light slowly faded, and Hiccup and Jack took the opportunity to connect all the lights to a Magical Power Source, one of the few that were actually stored in the castle; they allowed Muggle objects to work inside the castle, but only if they were in close range or connected to the Power Soucre.

North clapped each boy on the back, looking at the Great Hall, now light up and decked to the halls with Christmas things.

“Nice job boys,” North praised. “Extra credit, definitely,” Hiccup and Jack beamed; they didn’t do it for a reward, but it was good to get one anyway.

“Hiccup! Jack!” Someone said, rushing into the Hall. It was Professor Tooth. “It’s almost time for the Ball! Why aren’t you two dressed?”

“Damn!” Hiccup breathed.

“Gah! We only have ten minutes!” Jack said, glancing at a nearby clock and running out of the Hall, easily followed by Hiccup.

“Thank you Professor Tooth!” Hiccup yelled, waving back at the fairy professor.

Hiccup and Jack didn’t stop running until they had to part ways. They looked at each other.

“We meet here,” Jack said, breathing harshly after the run they just endured.

“Agreed,” Hiccup said. Then they ran their separate ways, dashing into their common rooms like two bats out of hell. They ran to their rooms, pulled on their suits with fancy glowing ties, and fixed their hair, pulled on some shoes… yadda yadda. In about a couple minutes, they were rushing back down the stairs and back to their meeting place. They arrived at the same time. Both smiled, their ties glowing softly in the semi-darkness.

“Well, don’t you look dashing,” Jack joked, reaching to pinch Hiccup’s cheek. Hiccup beat him to it and batted him off.

“Same to you,” Hiccup replied. They strolled back to the Great Hall, were loud music was already playing, and a disco ball that North set up was already sparkling.

Even with all the lights and sparkles everywhere, Hiccup and Jack’s brightly glowing green and blue ties were noticed. Their fingers laced together swiftly, for moral support (or at least that’s what they told themselves). Everyone’s eyes was on them, mouths gaping in awe at the two boys and their ties, music still bumping in the background.

“Hiccup! Jack!” Xavier yelled. Soon, the crowd parted, and Xavier headed toward them, Lauren in tow. The Ball went back to its festive feel, people still looking at the odd couple from time to time.

“You guys look amazing!” Lauren chirped, a smile on her face, despite what she was wearing. Lauren was in a deep red dress that stopped a little above her knees, lace and glitter near the bottom where the dress flared out. Her hands were captured by red, satin gloves that reached her elbows. On her feet were red flats, and her hair was straight, her bangs pulled to one side, making her look barely recognizable. A delicate-looking silver tiara was placed on top of her head.

“Loor!” Hiccup said, shocked.

“You look hot!” Jack said, beating Hiccup to the point. Lauren blushed as Xavier’s hand tightened and he shot a look at Jack.

“She’s my date, Frost, back off.” He said, the smile forming at the corners of his lips throwing off his threatening façade.

“I know, I know,” Jack said. “Besides, I got Hiccup,” Jack shot Hiccup a soft smile, which was easily returned.

* * *

…

* * *

 

About a couple hour later, Hiccup was slouching in a chair, Jack by his side. Lauren and Xavier were lost in the crowd, dancing the night away to the Wyvern Sisters.

“C’mon Frecks, just daaaance~” Jack said, shaking his date’s arm frantically. Hiccup refused to dance.

“I’m not going to dance. This music sucks!” Hiccup said, throwing his hands up. Jack just rolled his eyes. Was it really necessary to be all picky about the music? Why couldn’t they just have fun? Just then, two girls walked up to them.

“Hey Jack!” One said chirpily.

“Wanna dance?” The other asked.

“No thanks,” Jack said. “I’m not dancing until Hiccup dances with me,” With that, the girls tromped away on their high heels, flipping their burnt hair over their shoulders as they walked away sassily.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Hiccup said. Seriously, why wasn’t Jack ditching him yet? It’s not like he wants him to leave, it’s just that… well, if two girls ask you to dance, you dance… right?

“Yeah, I did,” Jack replied, turning Hiccup’s head to look him in the eye. “I came to the Ball with you, to hell if I’m going to dance with anyone else.”

“You don’t have to be so noble all the dang time,” Hiccup mumbled, that incredibly-dorky smile forming on his lips.

“You don’t have to be so picky about the music,” Jack refuted. Hiccup scowled a bit.

“Eh, you’re right,” Hiccup said, shrugging. “But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna walk over there and dance to the Wyvern Sisters,”

“Aw, come on!” Jack said, laughing.

Suddenly, the song changed to a sort of whistling tune with a melody to accompany it. Hiccup sat up straight, his face lit up with his disbelief and the soft glowing of his green tie.

“No way…”

_Oh yeah~_

“What is this?” Jack asked, along with many people dancing in the crowd.

_Oh!~_

“Maroon Five!” Hiccup said loudly, standing up out of his seat.

_Just shoot for the stars, if it feels right~_

_Then aim for my heart, if you feel like~…_

“You… you listen to this?” Jack asked over the commotion.

“It’s an American thing! Are you coming or what?” Hiccup said, holding his hand out to Jack, begging him to dance. Jack sighed, and placed his hand in Hiccup’s. As if it took no effort at all, Hiccup heaved Jack out of his chair and pushed through the crowd, looking for a spot where the both of them could dance.

“I don’t know how to dance to this!” Jack asked nervously.

“Just dance, pretty boy!” Hiccup said good-naturedly. And they danced.

_You say I’m a kid, my ego is big, I don’t give a shit…~_

_And it goes like this…~_

At first, the couple’s dancing was awkward and stiff, but then they warmed up, to each other and to the music. They were dancing in perfect harmony, smiling, laughing and having a good time.

_Take me by the tongue and I’ll know you~_

_Kiss me till you’re drunk and I’ll show you~_

_All the moves like Jagger~_

_I’ve got the moves like Jagger, I’ve got the moooooves like Jagger~_

Jack was beaming like an idiot, he knew it, but he didn’t care. The disco ball and the Christmas lights could never compare to the light Hiccup’s smile (and tie) was throwing off. Hiccup was moving easily to the music, eyes drooped half-way closed and his attractively-messy auburn hair swinging across his forehead with every move he made.

Hiccup moved towards Jack, and their hands found each other, their fingers interlocking. Hiccup shot Jack a devilish smile, and he turned, their fingers still intertwined. They moved in a circle, each doing a 360 degree turn.

_I’ve got the moooooves like Jagger~_

Jack was laughing, and Hiccup let go of his hands. They sashayed away from each other for a moment, each doing their own thing. And then a girl’s voice rang out.

_If you want to know how to make me smile~_

_Take control, own me just for the night~_

Jack formulated his own dance attack on Hiccup, and it was his turn for his smile to turn devilish. Jack danced his way towards Hiccup, embracing him abruptly, one hand on his hip, the other clasping Hiccup’s hand. They swayed a bit, Hiccup turning a bright red as their eyes met. Then Jack twirled Hiccup out, catching Hiccup by surprise, as their arms became fully extended, their hands still locked together.

Jack pulled Hiccup back in, the green-tied boy wrapping himself up in Jack’s arm. Their other hands found each other, and then they swayed there some more, Hiccup’s back pressed flush against Jack’s chest.

_But if I share my secret, you’re gonna have to keep it~_

_No one else can see this! Ay, Ay, Ay AAAAY!~_

_And it goes like this~_

The chorus played again, and Hiccup was now free from Jack’s hold and they were dancing separately again. They were still entranced with each other. Hiccup could barely take his eyes off of Jack, his tie throwing off a brilliant blue light, and his perfect smile being directed at Hiccup. In fact, Hiccup didn’t look away from Jack.

Jack, sensing the song was ending, lunged and took hold of Hiccup’s hand. He twirled Hiccup once, twice, and all the while bringing him closer to his own body. With the final whistling tunes of the song, Jack raised his arm and guided Hiccup’s hand behind his neck. Hiccup complied, bringing his other hand up to clasp behind Jack’s neck. Jack found himself holding Hiccup’s tiny waist. And the song ended its final note.

The two boys were breathing hard, the smiles on their faces blinding, their hearts beating swiftly, and their eyes locked on each other. They didn’t even take notice of all the others as they started to move closer to one another, slowly but surely…

Until all the others burst into smattering applause, of course. People wolf-whistled at the two, and yelled their approval of their dancing skills. Hiccup’s cheeks grew red, but both didn’t move from their position. Jack just gave the crowd a small smile, and then returned his attention back to Hiccup.

“Well, I’ll admit!” Jack yelled, trying to get his message across to Hiccup while everyone drowned him out. “American music is pretty okay!”

“Thanks!” Hiccup yelled back, laughing slightly. “So, you come here often?” He said, and the two boys laughed, their laughter almost audible over the crowd, who was still cheering for them, by the way.

“Yes! This is perfect!” Lauren said, digging into her long satin gloves to find something.

“What are you doing?” Xavier yelled over the noise. Another song started to play in the background, but people were still in awe at Hiccup and Jack’s dance.

“Carrying out Plan A!” Lauren said, finding what she was looking for in her left glove. She pulled her wand out from the red satin glove and twirled it impressively in her right hand. She suddenly pointed the wand up.

“ _Prius Oscularetur_!” Lauren whispered, her voice swallowed by the noise in the Hall. The small flash of deep red light traveled up and latched itself onto one of the streamers that were streaked across the Hall’s ceiling. Moving her wand a tad, Lauren directed the small light to move right over Hiccup and Jack. As she let go of her control over the spell, the small flash of light grew into a plant. The vine slowly grew down, hanging right over the two boy’s heads. And then mistletoe burst from the small plant.

Someone wolf-whistled. Everyone “oooooh!”ed in anticipation. Hiccup didn’t know what they were doing, until he chanced a look up. His breath caught, his green eyes wide and his mouth gaping open. Jack followed his date’s line of vision and his reaction was similar.   

 “Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!” the crowd chanted. Hiccup and Jack jumped apart. Lauren crossed her fingers.

“HELL NO!” Hiccup and Jack yelled in unison, and as if they had the same mind, they ran away, pushing their way through the demanding crowd.

Lauren uncrossed her fingers, her shoulders noticeably slumping as her hopeful smile faded off her face. “ _So close_ …” She muttered. Xavier saw her obvious disappointment, and reached out his hand to fix her slightly askew tiara.

“Well, at least we tried…” Xavier muttered. Lauren looked at him, her hazel eyes gleaming in the disco ball’s light.

“Now onto Plan B!” She proclaimed. 

* * *

 

“Where the hell did that come from?!?” Jack exclaimed. The dance went fine, actually it went better than he expected, but REALLY? MISTLETOE?!?

“I don’t know!” Hiccup said, trialing after Jack, trying to get away from the embarrassment that was still in the Great Hall. Where _did_ that come from? Their ties were the only sources of light in the dark hallway. “We didn’t set up any mistletoe!” Hiccup deduced.

“Exactly!” Jack yelled, turning around and gripping Hiccup’s shoulders and shaking the smaller boy slightly. “Someone must have set this up!”

“Oh, right, because the obvious answer is that someone is out to get us, _riiiight_ …” Hiccup said sarcastically, brushing Jack’s hands off his shoulders. “It was probably someone trying to play a prank on their friend, or something, so… calm down.”

“You’re right…” Jack said, pacing the hallway while tugging at his hair. The thing that freaked him out was that he thought they were going to kiss, even before the mistletoe. Jack thought he did some Unwanded Magic or something, and made the mistletoe appear.  

“You’re absolutely…” He looked up suddenly. “OH MY FUCKING GOD!”

“What?!?” Hiccup said, looking around and expecting a psycho-killer to be behind him. But, of course, there wasn’t one. Instead, all Jack did was run to the nearest window.

“IT’S SNOWING!” Jack yelled, the goofiest grin spreading across his face. “C’mon let’s go!”

“Um, no, I don’t really like the-“ Hiccup tried to protest, when Jack grabbed his wrist and ran out the nearest door, dragging Hiccup along with him.

“C’mon, let’s just have a little fun!” Jack said, walking backwards into the white wonderland.

“G-gods, it’s freezing out here!” Hiccup chattered, rubbing his forearms and standing next to the door as if he was going to slip back inside any minute. Jack saw this, and took his hand, dragging him farther outside.

“Cast a Warmth Spell if you’re that cold, then!” Jack said. “And hurry up with it too!” Hiccup, who never thought of that, took out his wand and cast the spell on himself. The spell did its job, because a second later, Hiccup’s face was covered in snow and he didn’t feel the biting cold at all.

“Hey! No fair!” Hiccup said, as Jack nailed him with a perfect snowball.

“HA! Gotcha~” Jack sang. Hiccup, who was just as quick, threw a ball of snow at Jack, who was gloating, and got him in the face as well. “BAH!” Jack said in surprise.

“Gotcha~” Hiccup sang, mimicking Jack, and then ran for cover.

* * *

“Where did they go, do you know?” Xavier said, who was following Lauren around the halls.

“No idea, but this is fun right?” Lauren said, stopping suddenly. “I feel like a spy!”

“Okay, good for you. Spy time, _awesome_. But what are we doing?” Xavier said. Someone must have spiked the punch with some caffeine, or something a little worse, because Lauren was way too excited about this whole thing.

“I’m thinking, if they’re alone… they might just…” Lauren said, peeking around a corner. “You know…”

“I thought this was Christmas, not Valentine’s Day…” Xavier muttered. “I’m starting to think this was a bad idea… I mean, can’t we just let them get together on their own?”

“No!” Lauren exclaimed. “Nonononono! They will _never_ figure it out if we don’t do something! Don’t you get it? We’re saving two lonely souls! Their _destined_ to be together! They just can’t see it! It’s just like…!”

YUP, someone _definitely_ spiked the punch.

“Like you and me?” Xavier prompted, raising his eyebrow hopefully. He fought his blush down as Lauren turned as red as her dress.

“Yeah, exactly…” Lauren said, smiling the tiniest bit as she looked through a window. “Look, there they are!” Xavier promptly looked out the window, to see both Hiccup and Jack playing around in the freezing snow as if it was summer time.

“So, now what?” Xavier said, turning and finally noticing how close Lauren was. His tips of his hair turned blue. _Oh boy_ …

“They look like their having a good time without my help,” Lauren said, her eyes twinkling. “We should get back to the Ball, huh?”

“Well, yes, you children should,” Someone drawled, making Xavier and Lauren jump in fright. Professor Pitch was standing over them, his black-as-night cloak billowing behind him. ”It was your idea after all, Ms. Cannonblast. I think you should enjoy what your suggestion has blown up into.”

“Were you… spying on us?” Xavier asked, not even having to ask the question to know the answer.

“Not necessarily,” Pitch said, smiling and showing off his bizarrely-pointy teeth. “I just take it to heart to watch over the precious students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”

“Prude!” Lauren accused softly. “What would we be doing that makes you so concerned?” Lauren hoped with all her soul that he didn’t see Hiccup and Jack outside… Thankfully, unbeknownst to her, he didn’t hear or see anything but the two of them talking in front of a window.

“That’ll be ten points from Hufflepuff, I think, despite the festivities,” Pitch said. “Now, back to the Ball, yes?” Xavier and Lauren were ushered back to the Great Hall. Xavier made sure Lauren stayed away from the punch as they traveled deep into the crowd of dancers, their hands laced together.

* * *

 

“AAAAGH!” Hiccup yelled in a Viking-war-cry sort of way, lifting his what felt like one millionth snowball over his head and lobbing it in Jack’s direction. It missed, but just slightly. Jack smiled, and shot about three snowballs at Hiccup one after the other, each one hitting its target.

“Okay, okay, I surrender, you win, Jack Frost…” Hiccup said, walking out of his terrible hiding space with his hands up over his head.

“Ha HA!” Jack said, launching himself at the small boy, knocking both of them to the ground, Jack on top.

“What the-?” Hiccup exclaimed. “I said I surrendered!”

“I know,” Jack said lightly. “Quitters never prosper, now do they, Hiccup?” He said. Hiccup flushed. Suddenly, Hiccup worked up his strength and flung Jack off him.

“How do you like them apples?” Hiccup yelled, scrambling to him feet quickly.

“I DON’T LIKE APPLES!” Jack yelled, almost childishly, as he chased Hiccup around. It was dumb, but both of them didn’t have anything better to do, so they ran around, and somehow got another small snowball fight going again.

Pretty soon, the stars hung high in the sky, and the two boys collapsed into the snow, panting like idiots.

“I hate snow…” Hiccup said, just to irritate Jack. It worked apparently, because Jack shot him a look. Okay, not just a look, more like _the_ look.

“I’m ignoring you because you’re just saying that to annoy me,” Jack said, looking away with a smile on his face.

“Ugh… meanie,” Hiccup whined. “Welp, it’s late. We should go in,”

“Meanie?” Jack said, sitting up. “That’s the best thing you can come up with?”

“Don’t judge,” Hiccup said, standing up and heaving Jack on his feet. They stood there for a while, faces and bodies inches apart. Warmth radiated off the two of them, and soon, Hiccup couldn’t take it anymore. He flung himself at Jack, wrapped his arms around the white-haired teen’s neck. Jack just laughed in shock, and encircled Hiccup’s waist in his arms.

“Some Ball, yeah?” Jack mumbled, not wanting to ruin anything.

“Yeah,” Hiccup said back. Jack’s grip tightened around his waist slightly, and then the hug broke. Hiccup frowned a bit, but recovered quick enough so Jack wouldn’t see. But, instead, Jack flung his arm over Hiccup’s shoulders, and started walking to the door. Hiccup found himself clutching Jack’s waist.

“Thanks for dragging me out here,” Hiccup said, his voice almost meaningful. “It was pretty fun,”

“Did you really expect anything less from Jack ‘Fun’ Frost?” Jack replied. Hiccup laughed and rolled his eyes.

“No, I guess not,” Hiccup said. The two unconsciously found themselves walking to the Ravenclaw common room. The Ball was long over, and there were many people who were wandering the hallways, but thankfully none before the Ravenclaw Tower stairs.

“It was great, Frecks, thanks,” Jack said, finally letting go of Hiccup. He mentally rolled his eyes and beat himself up on the inside for walking him back. What was wrong with him? It was one dance! And he was pretty sure Toothless was going to eat him now…

“So… um, see ya in the morning?” Hiccup said.

“Of course,” Jack said, glancing up by chance. And there, completely by accident, was a bough of mistletoe sitting innocently above them. Hiccup looked up too, and blushed. _Now or never_ , he thought to himself boldly.

Hiccup stood slightly on his tip-toes and pressed his lips quickly to Jack’s cheek.

“Night!” Hiccup said, turning around and running up the staircase. Jack stood there, shocked. A knocker sounded, followed after some warped voices, and then a slam of a door. Jack let out a sigh.

“Fuck,” He said innocently.

* * *

“Hell yes!” Lauren said, utter happiness spreading across her face.

“Plan A wasn’t a total misfire!” Xavier said, pulling her into a hug. “Welp, you did it, Ms. Cannonblast,” He said.

“Don’t call me by my last name!” Lauren said, looking at him indignantly.

“Sorry!” Xavier said, letting her go.

“Hmph, you better,” Lauren said, straightening out her dress and fixing her tiara with a frown. She hated these stupid things.

“Would you stop worrying?” Xavier asked. “You look perfect,”

“Aw, gee thanks…” Lauren said. She kissed Xavier gingerly. “G’night,” She said.

“Night,” He whispered, as she walked away. Looks like Plan A was a success in more ways than one that night…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so the song is, obviously, "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon Five! (I'll never be able to hear that song the same again, honestly)  
> But this chapter was basically crack-like, and i love it! I hope you did too!  
> Have a nice day! Thank you for reading! Please Review!


	17. Presents

Chapter Seventeen: Presents

** Hiccup’s P.O.V  **

Saturday. Oh geez, Saturday. Everyone left on Saturday, and then it would just be me and Jack… maybe I was a bit happy about that last part. A couple days till Christmas, yay. Jack’s present was ready, my dad got some Honeyduke’s this year, and Lauren and Xavier’s presents (a stuffed bear of Lauren and a box of Magical Pop Rocks for Xavier), were going to be in the mail Christmas eve. Good.

Bawgagagagaga…. Was all that could go through my mind went it went to last night. WHAT IN HELL POSSESSED ME TO KISS HIM?!?  Everything, duh? Maybe it was just the combination of five years of liking him that got to me… Ugh, why?!?

I rolled out of bed, my roommates already gone, and pulled on some normal clothes. I glanced at the suit and glowing tie that was in the corner of my room. That thing, full of memories and damp from the snow, was going back to Madame Rae’s later on today. I was going to be so glad to see it go.

Pulling on some comfortable clothes, I walked down to the Great Hall, Toothless naturally by my side. As I walked in, I noticed that Jack, Lauren and Xavier were already there.

“Freaking crapper-dapper!” Lauren shouted. “Jack! Stop messing with my hair!” Xavier snorted.

“Crapper-dapper?” Xavier said, laughing.

“Yes, crapper-dapper! Do you have a problem?”

“You motherfucking crapper-dapper!” Jack said in a country accent. I laughed a bit as I walked over to them.

“What the hell was that?” I asked, sitting down and Toothless all the food he could possibly have. I sort ignored him yesterday. Whoops.

“Nothing,” Lauren said, fixing her hair furiously. She actually had her hair braided to the side for a change. “Jack just decided to make fun of my hair and mess it up!”

“Don’t be starting to act like a girl now,” Jack said rolling her eyes.

“You do look a little weird, I mean, with your hair different,” I said, “it looks good though,” I was scared of her.

“Oh, thanks Hiccup,” She said, “But this is necessary. Home is where the little brats are, so I’d rather not be bald by the time I get back. So… my hair will be up all break.”

“Well, that makes sense,” Xavier said.

“Hogwarts Express is leaving soon!” Bunnymund yelled at all the breakfast eaters. “Hurry up everyone!”

“Welp, time to get going,” Lauren said. She and Xavier stood up. I clasped hands with Xavier, as Lauren and Jack hugged. Then Lauren flounced over to me. She hugged me. “Have a merry Christmas, Hiccup!” She mumbled in my ear.

“And a happy new year,” I sang a little at her. She just laughed.

“Man, I’m going to miss you guys so much!” Lauren said.

“You’ll live,” Xavier said, ending a secret handshake with Jack. “See ya, guys!”

“See ya,” Jack and I chorused as the two were ushered outside.

“And then there were two,” Jack said, smiling and sitting down again, picking up an apple and inspecting it critically. “Good morning, Freckles,” He said, taking a bite of the apple.

“Morning Frosty,” I said, sitting down and looking at the food. I took some waffles and started munching on them. They were so fluffy and delicious.

“Sleep well?” Jack asked, gesturing at my hair. I freaked, snatching up a spoon and looking at my reflection in it. My hair was sticking up a bit. I tried to flatten it out instantly, but I found out that spoons weren’t technically the best mirrors; they distorted the image.

“Why is this so difficult?” I muttered. Jack laughed at me.

“Dude, just let me…” Jack said, trailing off as he reached over the table and flattened my hair down. I suppressed my incredibly dorky smile as pleasant shudders ran up and down my spine. “There, all better,” Jack said, sitting back down and snatching his abandoned apple from the table and munching on it again.

“Thanks,” I said gratefully. I ate my waffles, not looking at Jack. Jeez, I was an idiot… why did I have to kiss him last night? I just made everything so _awkward_!

“Well, good morning Toothless,” Jack said, rubbing the black cat that hopped onto the bench next to him.

“So, what are we going to do for two whole weeks?” I asked. He just laughed at me, and ignored Toothless.

“Well, we could play in the snow, and go flying with this guy over here,” Jack said, finally scratching Toothless on the head before turning his attention to me again, “We could play video games, graffiti the castle walls, prank some more people… the possibilities are absolutely endless! Where should we start?” He said.

“You want to go out into the snow today, don’t you?” I deadpanned. It snowed pretty hard last night… Jack’s eyes twinkled with joy, his smile becoming impossibly wider.

“Yes!” Jack said. “Please?” He asked me, eyes sparkling and bottom lip jutting out. I rolled my eyes at him.

“What am I? Your mom?” I asked. He looked at me weird. I laughed and stood up quickly. “Beat cha there!” I called, running out of the Hall, Toothless following me. I heard him shout indignantly as he sprang up and raced after us. I laughed. 

* * *

 

Three days passed like this. The boys would goof around and be super silly all day, no one around to judge them or make them uncomfortable. It was just them, and at night, they would go flying on Toothless (taking the extra nighttime precaution still, because, hey, you never know). It was only on Christmas Eve did it occur to them that they could spend the night in the Room of Requirement without worry.

So, on the night before Christmas, there was something stirring. Three little somethings. There was a cat, and two boys, all sneaking to the seven floor corridor, and finally disappearing into a door that was never usually there.

The Room of Requirement had all the expectation of each of the boys; a Christmas tree decked out in the corner, a cute little fireplace with a fire already going, a long banquet table filled with everything they could possibly imagine, a T.V with probably every movie and video games known to man, a Christmas-colored couch in front of the T.V, a bed pressed up against the wall (why one? Only the Room knows), and a small adjoining bathroom.

Hiccup and Jack were ready. They each had their backpacks, filled with everything they might have needed. Both had the other’s present stowed away in their bag, but the other was none the wiser.

Toothless immediately hoped onto the bed, curling up into a ball and falling asleep. Hiccup and Jack both dropped their things and went to the table, seeing how both of them decided to skip dinner because of the occasion. They ate their fill of sweets and sugar, and then turned their attention to the T.V. They popped in a video game, and started playing Call Of Duty with a vengeance.

After they were done with the video games, they watched a Disney movie, for kicks and giggles of course. At that time, they were curled up together on the couch, both of them not really remembering how they got that way, but then again, they didn’t move.

After the movie, Hiccup was reluctant to move away from the warmth that was Jack, and vice versa. Saying everything and nothing at all, they just sat there while the credits played out.

Hiccup twisted and looked at Jack, who was already smiling down at him.

“Some movie, huh?” Hiccup mumbled.

“Yeah,” Jack said. _Why was Hiccup so cute?_ He asked himself. Funny thing was, he didn’t have an answer. Then, Jack, no longer able to sit so close to Hiccup without attacking him straight out, jumped off the couch and ran to the table.

There was one cookie left. Hiccup’s mom’s recipe cookies. Yeah, _those_ cookies. That was the equivalent to the apocalypse. Jack turned around and shot Hiccup a look, his smirk so confident it made Hiccup’s heart melt, as he plucked the cookie from its platter.

“Don’t. You. Dare…” Hiccup growled just loud enough for Jack to hear. Jack’s smile just widened as he raised the cookie to his mouth and opened it slowly, about to take a bite…

“ _Petrificus Totalus_!” Hiccup yelled, pulling his wand out from practically nowhere as he shot the Body-Binding Curse at Jack. Jack, who had the common sense to drop to the floor as he heard Hiccup yell, got back to his feet (cookie still in hand, mind you), and shot a smile at Hiccup.

“Missed me!” He said victoriously. He pulled his wand out, also from seemingly nowhere, and shot his own spell at Hiccup. “ _Frosti Maximanum_!” He said, as Hiccup took cover behind the couch. The back of the red-and-green couch bloomed into the trademark fern-like pattern of Jack’s spell.

“Missed me!” Hiccup said, mimicking Jack as he rolled off the couch and ran towards Jack. The smaller boy tackled the white-haired boy, both falling to the floor with a _thud!_ Toothless woke up, looking around frantically for the source of the noise. His acid-green eyes narrowed onto Hiccup and Jack, who were now wrestling on the floor for a dang cookie. Toothless inwardly rolled his eyes. How thick could these boys be? All they had to do was ask the elves for more!

Toothless sauntered towards them. Jack flipped Hiccup, forcing him to the floor and pinning his shoulders to the floor. He barely noticed he was straddling his crush, after all, and hell, _he wanted the damn cookie_! Hiccup was wriggling fruitlessly underneath Jack. Both boys were breathing harshly.

“Give up, Freckles!” Jack said. “This cookie is-!” He started to say, holding up the hand that was holding the perfectly intact cookie…

When Toothless leaped, and swatted the cookie out of Jack grasp. Jack shrieked as Hiccup laughed. With one bite, Toothless swallowed the cookie whole, looking at both shocked boys with an air of victory.

“Can dragons even eat cookies?” Jack said, sliding off Hiccup in the most seductive way possible, but he wasn’t aware of that. His cookie was gone…

“Apparently so,” Hiccup said, sitting up and rubbing his arm. Toothless burped. “Eww! Toothless!” Hiccup said, laughing.

“That is so gross,” Jack said. He jerked his head, looking at a clock that was mounted on the wall. And then he gasped, hopping to his feet.

* * *

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

“What’s up?” I asked.

“We should go to bed,” He said, grabbing my hand and pulling me to my feet. “That way the elves can come and deliver our presents,”

“Are you really that eager to get presents?” I asked, my eyebrow going up all on its own.

“Yes!” Jack yelled. “Dude, it’s Christmas!” He said, running into the bathroom. I followed him. He didn’t close the door. He was only brushing his teeth. Gosh… calm down…

I brushed my teeth quickly, while Jack stayed there, looking at himself in the mirror as he brushed. Well, I guess his teeth weren’t white for no reason. I spit, and looked up. Jack looked funny. I almost laughed.

I walked out of the bathroom and pulled on my pajamas, not really caring anymore. He didn’t come out of the bathroom, so it was okay. And I walked into the bathroom, and Jack finally spit into the sink. He looked up and his eyes locked on me. I choked.

Jack was smiling, and there was toothpaste on the corners of his mouth and his upper lip. It looked _wrong_. Like, dirty. I chocked.

“What?” He asked.

“You uh… got a little something,” I said, walking over and wiping his lips with my sleeve. Jack blushed darkly, and I assumed I was doing the same. I couldn’t really tell. The hand that wiped his mouth fell on his shoulder; I didn’t want to move away from him.

“This Room hates us…” Jack mumbled, his eyes flickering up for a fraction for a second. I looked up too. Mistletoe was hanging above us. Why does this always happen?

And swiftly, Jack bent down a little and pecked my cheek. It was small, but it counted. And then he ran out of the bathroom.

“Hey, stay in there!” He yelled. “I’m gonna change!”

“Got it!” I said, looking in the mirror.

My face was as red as a tomato, but my eyes were brighter than they usually were. And then I realized that I had the dorkiest, most genuine smile on my face. My hand flew up and touched my cheek gently, the cheek that Jack kissed.

And then my smile faded, and my eyes grew wide.

The Room of Requirement made everything you wanted appear…

I MADE THAT MISTLETOE POP UP ABOVE US!!!! Shit… I was gasping for air, and Toothless hopped on top of the sink and looked at me curiously. I ran a hand through my hair, letting out a strangled sigh.

“Frecks! You’re good!” Jack called.

“O-okay!” I yelled back shakily. I struggled to return my expression back to some sort of normalcy, and walked out the bathroom, Toothless on my heels. Jack was smiling at me, dressed in some baggy pants and a white tee shirt. I gulped. He looked hot…

Fuck. There was only one bed. As much as I willed the Room to make a second one, it wouldn’t comply. Infernal Room…

I crawled beneath the covers and scooted myself as close to the wall as possible. Jack crawled in after me, a huge smile stretched on his face. I smiled weakly back, as Toothless wriggled into the covers and settled himself between Jack and myself.

“Night, Jack,” I said quietly.

“Night, Hic…” Jack mumbled. I didn’t even protest at the nickname. I just shut my eyes, and snugged my pillow tightly, searching for comfort. I guess I found it because in a second, I fell asleep.  

* * *

**... **

* * *

 

Toothless was a barrier tonight. Or at least he tried to be.

Hiccup was freaking out in the bathroom a minute ago, and now he was sharing a bed with Jack, his heart beating hard enough for Toothless to hear it. He forced himself between the two, protecting Hiccup from any more possible embarrassment. Soon the boy was asleep, and Toothless pressed himself against his boy’s chest.

And then Jack, curse the boy, reached his hand out to pet Toothless, his fingers accidentally brushing Hiccup’s chest as he did so. Toothless growled, and Jack pulled his hand back.

“Fine, fine,” Jack mumbled. He curled himself into a ball and soon fell asleep too. Toothless was relived.

Well, just for a second.

The boys started moving in their sleep. At first, it was just them tossing and turning. But then, Toothless was sandwiched in between them as Hiccup and Jack wrapped each other up in their arms. With an irritated huff, Toothless excavated himself from the covers and hopped off the bed.

Toothless watched as Hiccup snuggled closer to Jack. As long as his boy was happy, he would be happy too. Toothless walked over to the Christmas tree in the corner, curled up in a ball, and fell asleep.

* * *

** Jack’s P.O.V **

I woke up groggily, vaguely remembering that it was Christmas. I pushed that thought aside, though, and snuggled my pillow close. It was so warm… I took a deep breath, and the smells of pine and nature assaulted my nose. It was glorious. I smiled.

I wiggled my toes, and I hit something. It felt like a foot.

Shit…

That was no fucking pillow that I was holding.

I cracked my eyes open, only to see the peaceful face of my little Freckles curled up next to me. I smiled. He looked so adorable.

And then his eyes flashed open.

“Well, good morning,” Hiccup said with a smile.

“Good morning!” I said, letting him go and sitting up. “IT’S CHRSTMAS!” I yelled, hopping out of bed and running to the Christmas tree. 

“No duh, Merlin,” Hiccup said, right behind me. Toothless walked up to him. “Morning bud, oh… here…” He said, grabbing his wand. He waved his wand and muttered a spell, and boom! Toothless the dragon was right before us.

“Look!” I said, throwing Hiccup a brightly-wrapped box. “Presents!”

“Awesome!” Hiccup said, at my side in an instant.

I instantly took inventory of my presents: jelly beans from Lauren (the Muggle kind) and a shepherd’s crook from my mom. My eyes welled up with tears momentarily. I would always play around with my sister with it.

I reached the last gift, and it was from Xavier. It was small, but thick. I ripped off the blue snowflake wrapping paper. I almost exploded. I am going to kill him…

There, sitting in my lap, was a small, pink book. “HOW TO GET THE GIRL IN TEN EASY STEPS” was advertised on the cover. I saw red. He has got to be kidding me.

“Way to go, Xavier,” Hiccup said dryly, giving me a smile.

“Shut it Freckles.” I said, throwing the book. When I did, a piece of paper fell out.

‘ _I know it says girl, but hey, maybe this can work on Hiccy too. –X’_  

Yup I was going to kill him. I crumbled up the paper

“What did you get?” I asked.

“Umm…” Hiccup said. “Old Viking helmet from my dad, a pack of lollipops from Lauren, and a squirrel-looking thing from Xavier,” He said, holding up a little thing. It was a squirrel all right, holding an acorn.

Toothless whined, and wiggled his tail in anticipation.

“Oh, that’s right!” Hiccup said. He thrust his hand under the tree and pulled out a paper package. “Here, Toothless!” He called. He unwrapped the paper, and there was a fish.

“That is the lamest present in the world,” I laughed.

“Not unless you’re Toothless,” Hiccup said, tossing the fish into the air. Toothless caught it, and ate it in one gulp. “He loves Icelandic Cod.”

“I’ll remember that next time,” I said. As long as he didn’t hack that fish up and make me eat it, I was all good... “Hey! Why didn’t I get a present from you?”

“I should be saying the same thing to you!” Hiccup said, hopping to his feet. “Calm down, I have your present.” He walked to his backpack and pulled up a little box. He handed it to me. “Merry Christmas,” He said.

I tore it open quickly. What did he get me? I opened the box, and there was a piece of parchment in it.

“Oh… gee Frecks… I know I don’t do my homework all that often… are you trying to tell me something?” I asked, looking at him. He flicked my forehead.

“No, Frost-for-brains,” He said, sitting down. “It’s Parchment Communication Paper. You see, I have the other paper,” He said, pulling an identical piece of parchment from his backpack. “If I wrote something on my paper, it’ll appear on yours.”

“That is so awesome!” I yelled. I hugged him. “Thanks Hic!” I let him go, albeit regretfully. “How’d you think of it?” I asked.

“I got the idea from texting,” Hiccup shrugged.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing,” Hiccup dismissed.

“Oh, here’s your present,” I said, pulling my rucksack close to me. I pulled out the small box wrapped in forest green paper. I handed it to him with a smile on my face. “Merry Christmas!”

Hiccup took the small present gingerly and carefully unwrapped it, as if he was in a daze. He took one look at the snowflake design and his eyes went wide, his mouth open in an awestruck smile. I pulled the snowflake necklace out of the box and leaned toward Hiccup, pulling the necklace around Hiccup’s neck.

“How did you-? Where did you-?” Hiccup stuttered, fingering the snowflake and its leather cord.

“I made it,” I said simply. “Promise that you’ll never take it off.”

“I promise,” He said. “Thanks, Jack,” He said, wrapping his arms around my neck. “It’s beautiful” He whispered. I couldn’t stop myself from grinning like a lovesick dork. I hugged him back of course, right until Toothless looked at me with murder in his eyes.

“ **Remember, asshole, break his heart, you die** …”

“Enough with the death threats!” I said, letting Hiccup go. “I’m obviously not going to hurt him! AND WHY DO YOU KEEP TALKING TO ME?” I was on my feet, and in Toothless’ face, rubbing his cheeks together, trying to make him irritated.

“Jack, you’ve gone officially crazy again,” Hiccup said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

“No… no I’m not crazy… he just called me an asshole!” I said.

“ **I can talk to you because your spirit is different from everyone else** ,” Toothless said.

“Huh?” I asked.

**“Your spirit and Hiccup’s is linked, you are just more receptive than he is. That is why you can hear me.”** Toothless said.

“Oh, well, I guess that makes sense…” I muttered.

“What makes sense?” Hiccup asked. He was still fingering his necklace. That was cute...

“Nothing. But I’m not crazy,” I said, shaking a finger at him.

“Whatever you say, Frosty,” He said standing up. He held out his hand to me and I took it without hesitation, standing up. “Let’s get some breakfast, ya goof.”

“Who you calling a goof?” I said, trapping him in a headlock, and giving him a noogie.

“Aw, come on!” Hiccup said, trying to escape.

And then the world ended when Toothless jumped in. He tackled me to the ground and I fell, oh but don’t worry, Hiccup was totally fine. Prick…

“Toothless!” I said gasping for breath as he put one of his paws on my chest, constricting my breathing. “Get… off…”

“Toothless. Off.” Hiccup said levelly. Toothless just looked at him innocently, his pupils wide and his tongue lolling out of his mouth as if he was the cutest friggin’ puppy in the whole world. “Now.” Hiccup said. Toothless rolled off me, but not before he licked my face.

“Ugh…” I said, wiping the saliva off my face while getting air back in my lungs. “Thanks, Hiccup…” I said with a bright smile.

“Think next time before you put me in a headlock,” Hiccup said.

“I’ll do that,” I said, standing up. We gathered our stuff and headed out the door.

We made our way to the Great Hall, Toothless the dragon following behind us. Why we left him as a dragon was a mystery to me. Hiccup was oddly looking at the ceiling.

“Freckles, what are you doing?” I said laughing.

“I’m watching out for mistletoe,” Hiccup said. “There is no way that I’m getting stuck kissing Toothless.”

“You can get stuck kissing me,” I said, joking around, making a kissy face at him.

* * *

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

He really just said that, didn’t he? Fuck him, now my face is red. Damn it, I have to say something or it’ll look like something’s up…

“In your dreams, Frosty,” I said, sticking my tongue out at him. Toothless did his own little version of a chuckle, which made me laugh. He always insisted on doing that! It was hilarious.

“I’ll wait till then, my love~” Jack said, in a fake-dreamy voice. I rolled my eyes.

“Cheeseball,” I said, pushing his shoulder. Okay, so I was a bit uncomfortable about him calling me ‘my love’ but he was just kidding… right? No, don’t answer that. I’m right.

“I happen to like cheese, thank you very much,” Jack said with a know-it-all flair. I laughed.

“Well, good for you Cheese head,” I said laughing. The Great Hall was in front of us. Toothless went bounding in, barely fitting through the hug doors. I took out my wand from my boot and shot the spell at him, making him shrink into a cat once more. He stopped in his tracks, and turned to look at me, a deadly glare in my direction.

“I win, you overgrown reptile,” I said, stuffing my wand away and walking into the Hall. Jack laughed, and followed me.

“I can’t believe you can insult him and live afterwards,” He remarked.

“He doesn’t care,” I said, laughing. “He just wants more fish.”

“True,” Jack said, chuckling a little. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I want about fifteen of those Belgium waffles the elves had out yesterday! They were so good!”

“They were pretty okay,” Hiccup agreed. “I like their pancakes more though, I mean, who in the world could make such fluffy and delicious pancakes?!” We sat down at a table, now only being two since the absence of diners, and filled our plates with our desired breakfast food. “Muahaha…” I said, evilly laughing as I poured a whole ton of syrup onto my pancakes. Jack meticulously place blueberries on his Belgium waffles.

We dug in soon afterwards, Toothless on the floor scarfing down his heaping plate of Icelandic Cod. The pancakes were the best things ever, and by the look of Jack’s face, the Belgium waffles didn’t look as bad either.

I reached over, fork in hand, and cut off a corner from one of his waffles. Stabbing it with my fork, I sat back and ate it. Jack just looked at me with a shocked expression, his fork hovering slightly near his mouth.

“They’re pretty good,” I said, nodding to his waffles. I quenched my laughter. For now at least.

“No shit, Merlin,” Jack said. “Don’t you think I know that? And you just… you just… AH revenge…” Jack said, cutting some of my pancakes and eating that. I just looked at him, eyebrow raised. “Hmm… not bad. Needs more syrup.” He said, laughing and joking about how much syrup I put.

“Shut up, sorry I have a sweet tooth,” I mumbled, taking a bite.

“Better not let Tooth figure that one out,” Jack whispered.      

“I won’t,” I said. “Besides, it’s cool. I brush my teeth, so it doesn’t matter,”

“Okay whatever you say, but don’t come crying to me when you get fingers in your mouth and a pissed off teacher over your shoulder telling you to brush better,” Jack said, taking a last bite of his waffles. “Ready to go?”

“Of course,” I said. “Let’s hit it. C’mon Toothless.” I called, snapping the cat out of his daze. 

* * *

 

The three boys walked out of the Hall and out onto the grounds. They walked around for a bit, Hiccup and Jack thumb wrestling and flicking each other’s forehead when the other lost (Jack thought that he would have won a lot more, but apparently Hiccup knew strategies). They tested their waters by walking towards the frozen-over Whomping Willow, seeing if it would wake up if they get near. Thankfully, it didn’t, or each one of the boys would have needed the Hospital Wing after the Willow was done with them.

Soon, it was lunch, and Hiccup and Jack decided to make a couple peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the Great Hall and disappear back outside again. Toothless didn’t even complain. He liked bread.

Back outside, they munched happily on their sandwiches. They found themselves sitting by the pier above the frozen Black Lake. Hiccup smiled, and kicked his feet out a little, nibbling on the corner of his sandwich. Jack, who already scarfed his down, was leaning back on his hands and looked up at the sky. He was remembering that dream that he had of him and Hiccup all that time ago.

With a determination Jack was not really sure that he had, he swore that today wouldn’t go in that direction.

Hiccup was trying to be oblivious to the fact that the memory of the same dream was hanging at the edge of his thoughts, but he didn’t dwell on it. He looked down at the frozen body of dark water, only to see a set of huge eyes staring up at him. He let out a (manly) scream and moved back, kicking his legs up and hugging his knees.

“Geez, you would think it was about to eat you or something!” Jack laughed, throwing his head back.

“Shut… shut up Jack, it scared me,” Hiccup stuttered, his heart hammering. That thing nearly gave him a freaking heart attack.

“In that case, let me go over there and poke him in the eye for you,” Jack said, making as if to jump off the pier and really do what he said.

“Jack stop!” Hiccup said, grabbing Jack’s upper arm and pulling him back.

“Oh, c’mon Freckles, you know I was just kidding!” Jack said. Hiccup’s grip on his arm softened, and then it was simply just his hand touching his arm.

“Sometimes I don’t know if you’re really kidding or not, you big Cheese head,” Hiccup said with a smile.

“Oh great, so now I got a new nickname?” Jack asked, referencing ‘Cheese head.’

“Not really,” Hiccup said, finally realizing that he was still touching Jack’s arm and pulling away. “It’s supposed to be an insult. But take it as you will,” Jack flopped onto the pier, laying down on it with his hands spread out. One of his hands was grazing Hiccup’s thigh.

“You’ve killed me, Hiccup, with your unkind words,” Jack pretending to cry. “Leave me here to die…”

“Never Jack!” Hiccup called, acting like a distressed girl. “I’ll never leave you!” In a fit of fake crying, Hiccup launched himself at Jack’s chest, clutching his shirt and continuing to ‘sob’ into Jack. Toothless rolled his eyes at the two. Seriously, they were just so oblivious, it made his heart hurt.

“Good,” Jack sobbed too. “I never wanted you to leave! I… I love you too much, please don’t leave me!”

“I won’t!” Hiccup cried, letting go and excavating himself from out of Jack’s chest. “Ah, we’re dorks,” He said with confidence.

“At least we can be dorks together,” Jack said, propping himself up on his elbows. “Because being a dork alone isn’t as much fun. Trust me, I’ve tried.”

Hiccup started laughing at him, his hand flying up and caressing his new necklace. Hiccup was really glad that Jack gave it to him. It was like he always had a little piece of Jack with him now. His fingers felt the intricately carved patterns onto the ice and he twisted it around on the leather cord that was tied around his neck.

“Hic? Hey, Frecks, earth to Frecks, are you there?” Jack said.

“Oh huh? Yeah um… yeah, sorry. Spaced off, I guess,” Hiccup said, smiling sheepishly as he stowed his necklace back under his shirt.

“You must really like that thing, don’t you?” Jack asked.

“Well, yeah,” Hiccup said. “No one’s given me something like this before,”

“Well, no one’s given me magic paper, but I’m not going to space off about it,” Jack said, a smirk on his face.

“Okay, okay, sorry geez. I won’t space out in your presence ever again,” Hiccup said.

“You better not…” Jack grumbled.

“Come on, you know you love me…” Hiccup said, batting his eyes innocently at his crush-slash-best-friend. He didn’t know why the hell he just said that, it made him sound way too needy, but it was already out there, and Jack would probably get the wrong impression if he tried to take it back now.

“Of course I love you,” Jack said, putting a bit more meaning to that statement than he should have. He instantly wanted to take back the response, but he had to keep up the joking façade, so he let it slide. He bit the inside of his cheek, the pain momentarily snapping him out of whatever thing he got himself into.

“Aw, thanks Frosty,” Hiccup said, standing up.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Jack asked, his eyebrows moving up.

“Flying. You comin’?” Hiccup asked.

“Do you really have to ask?” Jack said.

Summoning all the flight gear that he needed, Hiccup walked to a big enough field. Toothless meowed impatiently, and Hiccup laughed. He did the spell, and Toothless was a dragon, wiggling with anticipation.

“Heehee calm down, bud, I still need to hook you up to all this…” Hiccup said.

“You need help?” Jack asked.

“Nah, I’m good,” Hiccup said.

“C’mon, you need help,” Jack said innocently. Hiccup looked at him, a wry smile on his lips.

“I need mental help, Jack.”

“Oh, don’t say that,” Jack said, pushing the shaggy head of auburn hair that was next to him. “Let me hook up the saddle,”

So, with a lot of begging, belts being pulled tight, wires being put in place, Jack being flicked in the forehead, tweaks, laughs, and Hiccup getting tripped, they put all of Toothless’ gear on correctly.

“There,” Jack said triumphantly. “Was that so hard?” He crooned at Hiccup.

“That was extremely difficult,” Hiccup said with a huff. Both boys hopped onto the back of the gigantic dragon as if it was second nature. Jack scooted closer to Hiccup as he wrapped his arms around his torso. Hiccup no longer heated up at this, and actually leaned into the touch… well, maybe just a bit.

“Kay bud, let’s do this,” Hiccup said with a mischievous smile that he didn’t where anywhere else but in the sky. Toothless gave a little laugh, and took off.

Up in the air, everything was different. Hiccup and Toothless were one, while Jack felt like he could hop off at any moment and fly all by himself. As much as he wanted to, he didn’t because, well, what other time would he be able to have a completely innocent excuse to have Hiccup this close to him?

Hiccup loved flying. I mean, he loved it even before Jack started tagging along, but I guess he loved it even more so now. He loved the sensation of the wind through his hair, the unity of man and beast, and with the perk of Jack’s arm around him, well, it couldn’t be any more perfect after this.

Toothless loved flying. He could stay up there with the two boys all day if it made them happy. Yes, having the both of them was pretty tiring, but the looks on their faces when they got off made Toothless never want to let them down. They always had these… over-radiant smirks when they got off. Toothless knew it wasn’t the glow of flying, but more like the glow of innocent, young love, but he didn’t complain. The two boys deserved to be together.

Jack hugged Hiccup closer as they started getting a bit rowdy with their tricks. Flicking his ankle and eyeing the sky with a competitive smirk, Hiccup and Toothless were ready for today. It was Christmas after all!

Toothless shot up in the air, climbing high until they were lost in the clouds (which Jack touched), and they were pretty sure they were at the gates of Heaven. Then, Toothless looked at Hiccup, his acid green eyes sly and mischievous. Hiccup laughed, and flicked his ankle again.

They were heading straight down in less than a second, Jack scrambling to get a better grip on Hiccup’s waist. Hiccup smiled. Toothless had his eyes closed, enjoying the feel of the wind as Hiccup and Jack shared a look, both smiling like idiots (but it had nothing to do with the flight, but let them figure that out on their own, shall we?).

Toothless started to turn, getting faster and faster with each passing moment, and pretty soon they were spinning so fast that Hiccup and Jack nearly flew off because of the centrifugal force. It was fun though, and Hiccup and Jack were breathlessly laughing their heads off.

Another hour like this, spinning and diving and flipping through the air, Toothless got tired, and landed on the floor with a _thump_! Hiccup and Jack quickly climbed off, laughing softly as their cheeks turned red, and took Toothless’ gear off. Hiccup shrunk down the gear and stuffed it in his pocket.

“I felt like we haven’t flown in ages,” Jack muttered, his fingers twitching at his sides nervously.

“It’s only been like, two days,” Hiccup said, rolling his eyes.

“That’s forever!” Jack refuted, slinging his arm around Hiccup’s shoulders. Hiccup laughed at him, and rested his head on Jack’s shoulder before spelling Toothless back into a cat and walking off into the Great Hall.

For once, Hiccup and Jack actually sat next to each other at dinner. They would always be across from each other (it’s better to talk that way, you know) but now they just plopped down shoulder-to-shoulder and started eating.

Jack smiled as he took a bite. The two boys were squished together, despite all the room they had. Their hips were practically joined, and they could barely eat right with their elbows bumping all the time. But neither of them moved, they just sat there, looked at each other from time to time, and ate to the best of their abilities.

Jack nudged Hiccup’s foot with his own. Hiccup looked at him, green eyes asking a question that his mouth wouldn’t. Jack just smiled and went back to eating. Just as Hiccup was about to take another bite, Jack nudged him again. The freckled boy narrowed his eyes at the pale boy next to him, but didn’t do anything as he shoved his fork in his mouth. Hiccup was about to sip his orange juice when Jack nudged him again.

“Would you knock it off?” Hiccup asked, annoyed.

“Knock what off?” Jack said innocently. “I’m not doing anything!”

“Uh huh, alright, sure. Whatever.” Hiccup said, rolling his eyes.

Jack sniggered to himself. He nudged Hiccup again.

“Quit it!” Hiccup said, using his foot to nudge Jack’s in retaliation. Jack let a little laugh escape his lips, as a full-out foot war started under the table. “Would you ju-? What the-? What are you-? How is it tha-? Oh, I know what you’re doing here…” Hiccup said, planting his feet firmly on the ground, staring at Jack, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

“What?” Jack said.

“I am not playing footsie with you,” Hiccup said, turning back to his food with a little fake-irritated huff. Jack laughed.

“Damn it, ya caught me,” Jack said, going back to his food as well… but not before he hooked ankles with Hiccup under the table. Hiccup went red as he tried to hide his explosive blush behind his goblet of orange juice and his bangs. Nothing was working! But he didn’t move his foot, except for moving it closer to Jack so he could be more comfortable.

Jack smiled again. That blush on Hiccup’s face was adorable. Oh shit, was he being too obvious? Was this like, somehow invisibly crossing a line? Has this whole joking thing gone too far? Jack decided not to deal with all those questions at the moment, it was fucking Christmas still.

Toothless, being the attention hog that he was, hopped up on the table and stuck his face into Jack’s. Jack just laughed, and squashed Toothless’ face, petting his little cheeks with a coo.

“BFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT!” Jack said, blowing a raspberry in Toothless’ face.

“Merw…” Toothless complained, wiggling out of Jack’s hands and going over to his boy. Hiccup held him protectively.

“Why would you blow a raspberry in a little innocent cat’s face like that?” Hiccup whined. “He did nothing to you, poor Toothless…”

“Oh, don’t go being sorry for him! I saw you laugh!” Jack said, pointing his finger at Hiccup and pulling his ankle closer to him.

“That is so not true!” Hiccup said, going red.

“It is true and you know it!” Jack said. Hiccup hung his head, laughing a bit. Then he looked up, his smile being bitten back and his shoulder shaking slightly with unvoiced laughter.

“Fine, fine, maybe I laughed a little bit…” Hiccup said, biting his bottom lip.

“I knew it,” Jack said. “You were never a good liar in the first place,” He said, leaning in close.

“Of course I’m a good liar,” Hiccup said, pushing Jack’s head away, unhooking their ankles (despite the fact that he didn’t want to), and standing up. “I’ve lied loads of times, and you’ve never noticed,”

“Oh, how you kill my soul, Freckles…” Jack said, putting a hand over his heart. “I thought that we were friends!”

“Uh, that’s debatable,” Hiccup scoffed. Jack glared. “I’m gonna head back to my common room.”

“Oh, come on! You really want to leave me?” Jack whined, standing up too.

“Yes, terribly so,” Hiccup said, spilling Toothless on the floor, the cat walking in front of them like their chaperone.

“Why do you insist on killing my soul?”

“Because I’m evil, and your soul is easy to kill,” Hiccup said with a wry smile. “Besides, it’s fun.”

“Oh, so you’re pulling my middle name on me now, huh?” Jack said, Hiccup giggled (no, it wasn’t a giggle, it was the manliest little laugh the world has ever seen). “Alright, Horrendous, I’ll get you back one of these days,”   

“Wait, how do you even know my middle name?” Hiccup said, remembering that Jack called him by his full name when he asked him to the Ball.

“What?” Jack said, flushing.

“I don’t think I never told you my middle name, how do you know?” Hiccup asked. They somehow stopped walking, and even Toothless was looking at Jack.

“What can I say, stalker status never lies,” Jack said, uncomfortable. He had to let his motherfucking mouth slip, didn’t he?

“Whoa dude,” Hiccup said, pretending to be freaked out. “Whoa. That’s just…” Jack cringed, waiting for it. “Do you really think I care if you know my middle name?” Hiccup asked. Jack looked at him eyes wide. “It’s just a name dude, calm down. It’s not like I’m mad or anything.”

“I really expected you to beat the shit outta me, Freckles,” Jack sighed. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

“Dork,” Hiccup muttered, “I’m going now, see ya!”

“Aw, don’t leave me…”

“Just use my present,” Hiccup said.

“What?” Jack asked, confused.

“Write on the paper I gave you! And then wait!” Hiccup said, giving Jack a fleeting hug and running to his common room, Toothless trailing behind him. Jack stood there for about a minute. What the fuck did Hiccup want him to do? Write on some paper? Alright. He nodded, and ran to the Gryffindor common room. No one was inside the tower, so Jack sat down at one of the desks. He dug through his rucksack and found Hiccup’s present: the piece of parchment. Pulling out his quill and ink, Jack smoothed out the parchment and wrote.

“ _Okay, you told me to write on this. Now what’s going on_?” Jack wrote. Then the words disappeared, looking as if the paper itself was soaking up the words. Jack sat there, staring at the paper. What was going on?

Then words flourished across the page, as if someone wrote them.

“ _You are a dork when you’re clueless, you know that Jack_?” Jack’s jaw dropped.

“ _Hiccup_?” He scrawled down.

“ _No duh, Frosty_ _J_ _Merry Christmas_ ”

“ _This seems like a really great Christmas present now thanks Freckles_ ” Jack wrote.

“ _Anytime, but your necklace was better_ ” Hiccup argued, fingering the necklace unbeknownst to Jack.

“ _I highly doubt that. Its ice strapped onto some leather_ ,” Jack said. This was so cool! How could Hiccup say that his necklace was cooler?

“ _Its beautiful ice and it came from the heart, so shut up about it. I really do like it so knock it off_.” Hiccup replied, his handwriting sloppier than usual because of his hastiness to get his rant on the page

“ _Alright, never knew you would care so much. Good night Hiccup_ ,” Jack said.

“ _Good night Jack_ ,” Hiccup wrote out.

A couple minutes later, Jack was bored as hell as he wandered the common room. He had his staff from his mom on his shoulder, and he was actually considered reading “HOW TO GET THE GIRL IN TEN EASY STEPS” from Xavier, hoping it would help him out.

With a quick huff, Jack dropped the book on the couch. There was no way he was reading that thing. He didn’t need help getting Hiccup. They were friends, even if they were exceptionally silly that day, nothing changed.

Jack swung his staff, hitting something on the floor with it, when suddenly he was thrown up into the air, as if suspended by the wind itself. Jack was high above the common room, looking down. He was flying!

And then, just as he lost his concentration, he was thrown back down, thankfully landing on one of the puffy couches with a _thud_! Laughing, Jack stood up. This was awesome! He could fly on his own!

He was tempted to go flying now, but he was tired. He would have plenty of time to fly later; he had a whole other week after all.

So he gathered up all his things, and flew gently up the Gryffindor stairs up to the boy’s dormitories. It was a success, and Jack landed on the floor, actually sticking the landing. Flying felt great. Jack put everything away, and curled up into bed, barely being able to fall asleep.

But he fell asleep anyway, dreaming about saving Hiccup from a fire that was below him, and laughing at the whole thing. They started a snowball fight, all the while Pitch was screaming in the background “I am the BOOGEY man!”

It was a weird dream, he would admit, but when he woke up the next morning, he smiled and laughed at his own mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That very first scene is based off a conversation between my siblings and I... hehe...  
> and GOODNESS they are masters at dodging the point!  
> Thank you for Reading!!


	18. New Years

Chapter Eighteen: New Years

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

“We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, and a happy new year!~” I sang as I pulled on my shirt. New Year’s Eve. That was today. The last day of the year, and I did absolutely nothing to show for it.

Okay, maybe not nothing. I did talk to Jack. If you told me I would have done that in the beginning of the year, I would have smacked you in the face and said that you were crazy. But we were actually friends now. Wait, do friends kiss each other on the cheek? That was mistletoe though, that doesn’t technically count. Oh, that was another thing I did this year: kiss Jack Frost. And I made a new friend… though Lauren was more like a person that got inside your head whenever possible. And I found Toothless.

So, I guess that you could say my year has been pretty eventful. Yay me.

Toothless nudged at my side, looking at me with wide eyes.

“Oh fine,” I muttered. “Just don’t break anything…” A spell later, a black-as-night Night Fury was standing in front of me, left half of his tail missing and his acid green eyes regarding me with curiosity and wonder. He wiggled a little, licking at his lips. “No, no bud… we aren’t doing this… not this morning…” I said, trying to glare at the dragon, but Toothless just bounded to the window and wiggled again. I looked up at the sky, my strength ebbing down. “One ride, that’s it.” I muttered.

I pulled on our gear, and in less than three minutes, we were out the window and soaring through the skies. The wind was running it’s ghostly fingers through my hair, and somehow it was easier to breathe up in the sky. It was freedom, it was independence, it was forgetting everything that had happened and starting over. I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second, enjoying the feeling of just about everything that had to do with flying…

When something grabbed my shoulder.

My eyes were open in a flash, and I let out a yell. Toothless twisted in the air, trying to figure out what I was yelling about. My hand was up, about to slap someone silly, when… I saw who grabbed my shoulder.

“Jack?!” I yelled. “What the fuck?!” Jack just laughed at me, his white teeth sparkling in the morning sun. He was dressed in his usual blue hoodie, but it had frost on his shoulders and sleeves; he must have been out here for a while. His tan jeans were frayed at the ends, and were tied to his calves with some cords. His feet were bare.

“Well, someone wanted to get flying this morning,” Jack laughed.

“How the hell are you up here?” I yelled, noticing that he was holding his staff tightly in his hand. “You’re flying!”

“Yeah, we’re only a couple thousand feet off the ground, and you’re just figuring it out now?” Jack said, laughing.

“How are you doing this?” I yelled, as the wind blew harder.

“I don’t know, exactly,” Jack said, looking at his staff with a glazed over smile. “I figured out how to do this on Christmas. Woke up early this morning. Decided to come out here and test it out again!”

“You are insane!” I yelled, Toothless becoming restless about staying in one place for a long time.

“Thanks for the evaluation!” Jack said, laughing, swooping under Toothless once and popping up on the other side of him. “Don’t you think I knew already?”

“I assumed,” I muttered, the wind battering against us furiously, almost begging us to move. “Hey, we’ll race you,”

“Well, that’s hardly fair,” Jack said, his eyes gaining a new kind of sparkle as he looked at me. I swallowed, hoping that he didn’t realize how much he actually affected me. “I just learned how to do this! You’ve been flying for half a year now!”

“We’ll go easy on you,” I said with a smirk, patting Toothless’ head gently. “Huh, bud?” Toothless chortled, laughing in his own dragon way.

“Alright then! Let’s have some fun!” Jack said, spreading his arms wide, then snapping them back to his side. It was like he was controlling the wind, and he shot forward quickly.

“C’mon bud,” I whispered, and Toothless, hating to lose, darted through the air, catching up with Jack with a couple flaps of his jet-black wings. Jack glanced at us, and gave me a smile. I beamed back. Then he circled Toothless again (my eyes totally weren’t trained on him) and flew under and in front of him, scratching Toothless’ head with a little smile. Then his blue eyes darted to mine, a wide smile stretched across his face so wide that they pushed up his cheeks, almost burying his eyes.

“Nice of you to join us up here for once!” I yelled.

“It’s good of you to have me!”

“What is this? A talk show?” I yelled back.

“Most likely!” Jack said, laughing loudly. “I LOVE IT UP HERE!”

We flew around a bit more, goofing off to our heart’s content when Toothless’ stomach growled; trust me, it wasn’t a noise you could ignore. It was just as loud as his roar.

“Come on, we need to get back!” I yelled, turning Toothless around and darting back to the castle. I heard Jack yell, his laughter not long after that. I looked back, almost concerned for his well-being, when a streak of blue was left in the sky and fell behind me, sitting on Toothless.

“Well, hello,” Jack said, our noses touching.

“Hello to you too,” I mumbled, feeling myself go red. I had to force myself to turn forward and see where we were going. Jack wrapped his arms around my torso, and as cheesy as it sounded, his touch was as gentle as the wind. Toothless guided me back to my dormitory, and Jack and I hopped through the window, Toothless wiggling into the small space after us.

“Huh, nice place you got here,” Jack mumbled, walking around. “Love all the blue,”

“Oh great, now you’re an interior decorator,” I said, looking behind me at him. He stuck his tongue out at me. “C’mon Toothless, settle down,” I mumbled, taking off all his stuff and stashing it away in my trunk. I stood back up, my snowflake necklace banging on my chest as I did so. I stuffed it under my shirt and did the spell to turn Toothless back into a cat once more.

“Well, I’m glad to see you’re actually wearing it,” Jack chuckled.

“Oh, knock it off,” I scoffed. “C’mon, we can probably get something from the kitchens.”

“As long as we don’t eat the cookies, I’m good,” Jack said with a smile, following me out of my room, out the common room, and down the Ravenclaw Tower stairs.

“So, how were you flying?” I asked.

“I just told you that I had no idea,” Jack said. “But I can only fly with this staff my mother sent me from home. I used to play pranks with it and stuff, but now… I guess I can control the wind with it.” Just to prove his point, he swung the staff up, sending a gust of wind to crash into us from behind.

“That’s some pretty cool magic,” I said nodding. Toothless meowed in annoyance. I bent down and picked him up. “Nothing can replace you bud, don’t worry,” I cooed, scratching his ears a bit.

“It’s pretty awesome, yeah,” Jack said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna tag along with you and Toothless every once and a while.”

“Just when I was starting to get my hopes up…” I muttered, rolling my eyes. The _last_ thing I wanted him to do was to stop flying with me and Toothless.

“Oh shut up, you know you love me…” Jack said, then he stopped and bit his lip a bit.

“Sure, think what you will.” I found myself saying, just to kill off the awkward silence that crept up between us during the past two seconds. “I hope they have some of those waffles you’ll kill for, they weren’t that bad, actually.”

“Muahaha, I have succeeded in bringing you over to the Belgium waffle side,” Jack said, laughing evilly. “I told you, they’re damn delicious,”

“Probably better than my beloved pancakes,” I said, smiling. We reached a gigantic fruit portrait, and Jack and I both tickled the pear at the same time, our wiggling fingers brushing up against each other briefly. The portrait swung open, the pear laughing loudly.

So we stepped inside, and we instantly had little elves running over our feet. Seriously, these guys were just about as high as my knees, and that was with their pointy little hats on. The elves looked like Santa’s little helpers, all dressed in red and green with little bells on the end of their hats. One of them offered me a plate of cookies. I declined almost immediately.

“Hey Phil,” Jack said, waving to someone. A little further into the kitchen, there were huge, hairy human… monster… yeti… things making food. One of them looked at Jack, huffed, and continued his work. So, I’m guessing that’s Phil.

“I thought the elves did all the work,” I muttered.

“Just let them believe that,” Jack said. “It’s the yetis that are the under-appreciated ones.”

“Alright, I just had a lesson in Hogwarts 101. I think I failed miserably.” I said.

“Most people don’t know, don’t beat yourself up,” Jack said, walking around and taking food off the yetis tables. They continued to work, not even fazed by Jack taking things. “Well, are you going to eat something or not?”

“Well, uh, um…” I stuttered. “Yeah, are you guys still making breakfast?” I asked the yetis. One of them, Phil, looked at me, eyes wide. He nodded, then said something unintelligible. Then one of them brought me a plate of the Belgium waffles that Jack adored.

“Hey! Thanks!” I said. All the yetis, and even the elves, stopped and looked at me, their eyes as wide as plates. “What?” I asked. I looked nervously at Jack. “Why are they staring at me?”

“They aren’t used to niceness,” Jack said with a shrug. “People usually look them over, and never even say thank you, so a person, like yourself, who comes in here and says it makes them happy.”

“And you know this how?” I asked, my eyebrows raised. I took a bite of the waffles. Muahaha, they tasted like heaven.

“Talking to North as long as I have, I tend to get him off topic and… well, yetis and elves are the first thing he talks about. Taught me a few words of their language actually, the yetis,”

“Wow, a bilingual Jack Frost,” I said, faking awe. “I never thought I would see the day…”

“Shut it, Freckles.” Jack said, laughing.

Toothless was being doted on by the elves; they were petting him and feeding him tons of fish. I called his name and he looked at me as if I was an irritation. I didn’t call him again.

Jack was flying again, picking on the elves and snatching things from the yetis’ food tables, stuffing it quickly in his mouth before anything could be said. I laughed as Phil caught him in the act of stealing a sugar cookie. Jack just looked at me and smiled sheepishly as Phil yelled at him. By the looks of it (by Jack’s flinching mostly), Phil wasn’t saying anything nice. We were ushered out, but not before another yeti handed me a chocolate milkshake.

“Thank you,” I muttered, and then we were pushed out the portrait.

“Ack, rude,” Jack said, dusting himself off and putting his staff on his shoulder. He looked at me, and his eyes fell on the milkshake in my hands. “Oh, that’s no fair.”

“It’s totally fair, I just don’t know how yet,” I replied. “Give me a couple minutes, I’m sure I can figure it out,” I took a sip of the shake. I died, then came back to rub it in Jack’s face because _holy hell, this milkshake was good_! (Maybe I shouldn’t have let out that moan, because Jack’s face was beat red. What was wrong with him?)

“You have to give me a sip now, with a reaction like that,” Jack said laughing, sticking his hand out.

“My precious…” I said, holding the cup close to my body.

“Creepy…” Jack said, dragging out the word. “C’mon seriously, it’s just a sip,”

“Fine, but only because I don’t want to have to hear you whine for the rest of the day,” I said, surrendering my milkshake. Jack took it gingerly, and took a sip.

“Fucking shit, that was amazing!” Jack whispered, looking at me, then the milkshake, then back at me. I grabbed back the cup.

“And it’s mine, back off,” I said, finishing it off before he could ask for another sip (which was quite hard, because the shake was so thick and it was so damn good, and I was about to have a brain-freeze, but it was glorious… and _fucking hell, I should have enjoyed it, not sucked it down like it was water_!).

“I hate you,” Jack said, glaring slightly.

“Aw, deal with it,” I said, laughing. Then Jack burst out in laughter, almost falling on the floor. “What’s the matter with you?”

“Hey… h-hey, Hiccup?” Jack was laughing. “Did… does… does your milkshake bring all the boys to the yard?” He burst out laughing again, this time falling on the floor with a _smack_! My face went red, and my hand came up, and I was biting my knuckle, trying not to laugh. What the hell? Where did this come from?

“You are terrible!” I yelled, laughing so hard and pointing at Jack. “You, sir, are a despicable human being!”

“I’m… _oh my gosh_ … I’m sorry… _I can’t breathe!_ … I just thought of it and… _crap~_ … I had to say it!” Jack said, his sentence broken by his laughter. He tried to get up, and he epically failed, so I held out my hand. He didn’t hesitate to grab my hand and use me to help him up.

“That was still terrible,” I muttered, trying to wipe the smile off my face. So, to say that I failed was an understatement, because I had that stupid little, dorky grin on my face.

“Oh, c’mon, you thought it was funny!” Jack said. “Look! You’re smiling! That proves it!”

“How do you even know that song?” I asked. Jack looked at me, smirking and wiggling his eyebrows at me.

“I have my ways,” He said.

“Oh gods, that’s it. You’ve finally gone deranged.” I said, rolling my eyes. “I’ll call the authorities, tell them they need to pick up a crazy person and then they’ll throw you in a strait jacket!”

“Oh, that’s just mean,” Jack said, shoving me on the shoulder. “Got any New Years’ resolutions?”

“Oh, loads,” I said laughing. “You know, the generics: lose weight, eat right, join a gym and stay for at least a month, you know, that kind of thing.”

“You seriously don’t need that,” Jack said. “You’re already a freaking fishbone as it is.”

“Thank you, my self-esteem is soaring,” I deadpanned. “What about you?”

“Well, first I’m going to figure out the whole staff situation,” Jack said, “And then I’m going to ditch school and travel the world,”

“An education is more important than traveling, you know that right?” I said, pouting. “And besides, what fun would traveling the world be if you’re all alone?”

“Good point,” Jack said, nodding. “So you can come along too! You already have Toothless! We could leave right now!”

“What would Lauren and Xavier think?” I asked, as if I was seriously thinking about running away with him. “They would be heartbroken,”

“They have each other to keep them company, I’m sure,”

“I hope you’re just kidding about this whole thing…”

“Oh, I am,” Jack said, smiling. He floated off the floor, hovering a couple inches off the ground before he realized what he was doing. His feet touched the floor again.

“Good, because there’s no way that I’m going anywhere with you,” I said.

“Are you sure about that?” Jack said mischievously.

“Yes, I’m absolutely su- AAAAAAAAAAAAH!” I said, just as a pair of arms wrapped around my waist and picked me up off the floor. Jack was laughing. And then it hit me, Jack was carrying me, _flying_. “Jack! Get me down from here!” I yelled.

“It’s not any different from flying Toothless!” Jack said, still laughing and holding me in the air.

“Yes, I’m pretty extra sure that it is!” I said back.

“Just trust me!” Jack said, flying higher. I wish that Hogwarts didn’t have such high ceilings. I looked at the floor, and poor Toothless was watching us. I felt bad… a little.

We were shooting through the corridor when Jack pretended to drop me.

“Ack!” I said. He just chuckled. With some amount of difficulty (meaning I don’t know how the hell I did it) I flipped around in Jack’s arms, burying my face in his chest, wrapping my legs around his waist, flinging my arms around him neck. Well, at least that shut him up a bit.

“You asshole! Put me down!” I said.

“Alright,” Jack said, and I could practically see his smirk as we lowered to the floor. Toothless was running towards us. I unwrapped myself from Jack, and then shoved him.

“You scared the living hell out of me!” I yelled.

“C’mon,” Jack dismissed. “You know you had fun,” I glared at him, biting the inside of my lip. It was a little fun, just a little. I still preferred flying with Toothless than anything else though.

“Shut up, Frosty,” I muttered. “Don’t do it again,” Toothless came up and scratched at Jack’s bare foot with an indignant “Meow”.

“Hey!” Jack said, dancing a couple steps back. “Call off the dragon, Frecks! It’s going to kill me!”

“Toothless…” I warned. The small cat whipped its head toward me. “It’s alright, bud,” I said. Toothless looked at Jack, glaring slightly, and then walked to my side, wrapping his tail around one of my legs. “Why are you always saying that he’s going to kill you? He wouldn’t hurt… okay maybe he would hurt a fly, but he isn’t going to hurt you!” I protested.

“You don’t hear him, dude… but whatever…” Jack said, looking at the cat at my feet. “Let’s go do something! We should end the year with a bang!”

“I hope you don’t mean literally…” I muttered under my breath. Jack just laughed as he poked my cheek, and then we were both walking down the corridor like nothing ever happened.

…

Hiccup, Jack and Toothless spent the rest of the day goofing off. But, as the sun started to go down, the trio found themselves on the Astronomy Tower, sitting on the edge of the Observation Ledge. Jack was swinging his legs off the edge, while Hiccup was sitting cross-legged right next to him. Toothless wasn’t far away, sitting next to Hiccup contently.

“I liked this year a lot better than last year,” Hiccup said, deciding to break the comfortable silence that crept up. Yes, comfortable. It was nice, just sitting here with Jack, but it was like each of them were waiting for the other to say something.

“Because of Toothless?” Jack asked, looking at Hiccup.

“Because I actually got some friends this year,” the smaller freckled teen replied.

“Hmph, I should have talked to you a long time ago, then, huh?” Jack said, smiling a bit.

“It’s not your fault,” Hiccup said. “We didn’t have anything to do with each other back then.” Hiccup didn’t know how wrong his statement was: Jack always kept an eye out for his little Freckles before they actually talked. He felt bad for not actually talking to him, but it was better that he was doing it now than never.

“I liked this year better too,” Jack said softly.

“Because of your sister?” Hiccup said, almost scared of the reaction he would get. Jack’s eyebrows furrowed at the mention of his sister, but he didn’t flinch.

“Because of you,” Jack said, a little softer than before, if that was even possible. Hiccup just looked at him, wondering if he heard right, his mouth opening in the dorkiest smile possible.

They sat in another comfortable silence, Jack scooting a little closer to Hiccup when he could. Hiccup wiggled his toes, and found that his feet were asleep, so he adjusted his position and let his legs dangle over the edge like Jack was doing. When Jack looked at him, his eyes sparkling with his unspoken question, Hiccup smiled sheepishly.

“My feet fell asleep,” Hiccup said.

“Let’s hope the rest of you doesn’t follow them,” Jack said with a smirk, “because then I’ll be forced to prank you,”

“What?” Hiccup said, laughing.

“It’s this tradition we used to have before the… uh, accident.” Jack said, stumbling over his words slightly. “We would stay up for as long as we could, and whoever sleeps first gets pranked.”

“That’s sounds like fun,” Hiccup said, smiling. “I remember my mom would yell out the door every year when the clock strikes midnight. Then she would put on a little firework show in our living room…”

“That sounds dangerous…” Jack said, laughing at the thought of a little Hiccup, sitting down and watching fireworks.

“The couch only burst out in flames one time, okay?” Hiccup said, cracking up. Jack burst out laughing hysterically. “Now _that_ was a fun year,” Hiccup choked out, laughing so hard that tears were falling out of his eyes.

“I can’t believe how nonchalant you just said that!” Jack said, wheezing.

“I can’t believe you know a big word like nonchalant,” Hiccup quipped, earning himself a little punch on the shoulder.

“Hey, I’m smart!” Jack whined. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

“Whatever,” Hiccup mumbled.

The boys sat there for a while longer, playing rock-paper-scissors. They were laughing and joking around, as if nothing was happening around them. At least, until the first firework went off. Jack nearly jumped off the Ledge, while Hiccup grabbed his arm, laughing.

“What was that?” Jack asked.

“Fireworks,” Hiccup replied. Toothless curled up next to his side. “They do this every year. It’s supposed to be like the countdown to the new year or something,” Another firework went off. Colors splashed the dark night sky, the image it made moving around until bursting again.

“That’s so cool…” Jack said, calming down and putting his hand back. Hiccup and Jack’s fingers were brushing. Another firework. It was an animation of a sleigh, pulled by reindeer, shooting across the sky. “The guy looks like North,” Jack said, pointing at the sky. Hiccup laughed.

“I think it’s supposed to be North!” The freckled teen said, laughing. “Do you ever wonder if he actually is Santa?” Hiccup asked.

“I’m pretty sure he is,” Jack said, looking at the sky for the next firework. And it burst into the sky; Bunnymund, hopping around and throwing eggs across the sky, the eggs exploding into more fireworks. The boys burst out laughing.

A bright green 5 exploded in the air.

“Haha, alright!” Jack said.

A red 4, with other red fireworks in the background.

“Whoa…” Hiccup said. Both boys were looking anxiously at the sky.

A blue 3.

An orange 2.

A yellow 1.

And then…

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!” Hiccup and Jack yelled at the top of their lungs. Toothless jumped, looking at the two boys with a “what the hell is wrong with you?” expression. Hiccup and Jack both turned to look at each other…

And noticed how close they were.

“Happy new year,” Jack repeated, a genuine smile spreading across his face. Hiccup bit his lip right before he burst out into a smile too, unable to hold it in for much longer.

“Right back at ya,” Hiccup replied softly, his voice wavering a bit. He moved his hand a bit, and he swears that he didn’t mean to have his hand be right on top of Jack’s. The white-haired teen thanked the moon (and just about everything else he could think of) that it was too dark for Hiccup to see the blush that bloomed across his face when he moved his hand. 

Toothless meowed, snapping the two out of the little thing they found themselves in. Laughing lightly, they looked away and stared at the sky. A leprechaun was tap dancing in the sky, colorful fireworks exploding behind him.

“Seriously, who would have thought to make a leprechaun dance for New Years?” Jack asked, standing up precariously. He reached for Hiccup’s hand, and pulled him up too.

“Yeah, they could have just gone with a baby in a diaper or something,” Hiccup said sarcastically.

“Ew. Okay, now I’m suddenly okay with the leprechaun.” Jack said, laughing.

“Yeah, I thought you would say that,” Hiccup said. They walked out of the Astronomy Tower, laughing. “So, have you like, never seen fireworks or something?” Hiccup asked.

“I haven’t really seen them so… close before, but it’s not like I’ve never seen them.” Jack said. “I didn’t know they would be so loud,” He mumbled after. Hiccup nudged him with his arm.

“Well, I’m not laughing at you,” The freckled teen said.

“I think you’re trying to hold it in,” Jack said. Hiccup chuckled. “See, right there. Laughing, right at me!”

“I’m laughing with you, not at you, there’s a difference, you know?” Hiccup replied.

“Difference my ass,” Jack said. “You’re laughing at me, you prick.”

“Don’t call me a prick!” Hiccup argued. “If anything, you’re the one who’s-!” Just then, Jack held up his staff, the curved end pointing directly in Hiccup’s face.

“I will use this,” Jack said menacingly, his eyes narrowed. Hiccup just batted the thing away from his face, laughing.

“Yeah, never try to mug someone, okay?” Hiccup said as they continued to walk. “They might just die laughing before you could get anything out of them,” Hiccup was trying to bit back his smile, but it wasn’t working to well when he saw Jack’s pout. He had to actually remind himself to breathe as his shoulder shook with the laughter that he was holding in.

“That’s not fair,” Jack refuted. “I’m pretty sure I could mug someone if I wanted to,”

“Of course you could,” Hiccup said, laughing. They reached the corridor where they had to split up, and Jack moved so that he was facing Hiccup. They were smiling at each other like idiots.

“Well, good night,” Jack said. He looked down, and noticed that their hands have been laced together this whole time. They let go of each other’s hand sheepishly, both of them missing the warmth and comfort the simple gesture brought.

“Night,” Hiccup said, blinking innocently as he looked up (slightly) at Jack. They smiled at each other for a second, before Toothless pawed at Hiccup’s shins, drawing him back to reality. He laughed shakily, not really wanting to go. “See ya,” He muttered, turning and walking away.

Jack couldn’t hold it in. He ran up behind Hiccup, grabbed his wrist, and turned him around. Then he hugged the small freckled teen, almost to the brink of death, and Hiccup hugged back. They let go slowly.

“Go to bed, goofball,” Jack said quietly, walking backwards.

“Okay, so you’re telling me to go to- you know what? Good night, Jack!” Hiccup called with finality. He turned around and walked to his common room. Jack laughed, hanging his head as he did so. He succeeded in making Hiccup stay for a bit longer, but there was no way he would have stayed forever.

Jack walked to his common room, restraining himself from flying there with his staff. He slipped inside the room, and slowly let himself be lifted into the air, rising about two feet off the carpeted floor. Floating up the stairs and into his room, he crawled under his blankets, and sighed.

“That’s one way to start the new year,” He mumbled to himself, snuggling into the warmth of his bed. He drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 

“For the last time Toothless,” Hiccup complained. “We are not going flying!” The cat just whined at him, green eyes widening as he begged. “No. I am tired. I am going to bed.” Toothless just rolled his eyes. The freckled boy stuck out his tongue at the cat as he stripped and pulled on his pajamas.

Hiccup huffed as he slipped under his covers for the night. He lay on his back for a while, and Toothless crawled on top of his chest. He placed a hand on the cat’s back, petting the creature softly. Hiccup thought about everything he and Jack did that day, and an unadulterated smile of pure happiness spread across his face.

He would have never asked for a better way to end the year, or start the new one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy new year!! theres a couple references in here, i think, so try to point them out!  
> Thank you so much for reading!


	19. Back To Normal

Chapter Nineteen: Back To Normal

The rest of the break passed by in a blur, Hiccup and Jack messing around and goofing off like no one’s business. And then Sunday rolled along, the day everyone came back from vacation. The day Hiccup and Jack would no longer be alone in the huge castle. The day everything would have to go back to normal.

Hiccup and Jack were in the Great Hall fixing breakfast when people started to pour in, cloaks pulled around them and smiles on their faces. Then Lauren and Xavier walked inside the Hall confidently, wearing jeans and light sweaters, Lauren having that ridiculous raccoon hat on her head again.

“Hey guys!” Lauren called out to her two friends, waving her hand high in the air. They waved back.

“Was yelling really necessary?” Xavier asked beside her. Lauren laughed, pushing his shoulder lightly, before taking hold of his hand and running deeper into the Hall. She let go of his hand almost immediately as she reached Hiccup, hugging his tightly.

“I missed you!” She cried.

“Yeah, I missed you too, Loor,” Hiccup said, hugging her back.

“You need to tell me absolutely everything later on,” Lauren whispered quickly. “And don’t you lie to me, because something did happen. I can see it on your face.”

“Okay, okay, later,” Hiccup said, letting go of his friend. He straightened out her hat gingerly. “So, good vacation?” He asked.

“I’m pretty sure I have bald spots, but otherwise, yeah pretty good,” Lauren joked, pressing her hat on her head firmly.

“Lauren, get your butt over here and give me a hug!” Jack said loudly. Lauren walked over and gave Jack a hug. “I haven’t seen you guys since last year!” The white-haired boy said dramatically, gripping his hair.

“It’s been absolutely forever!” Xavier said, laughing.

The four all sat down and ate, ignoring the almost-envious looks that were shot at them from the other students. Hiccup was happy that Lauren and Xavier were back, but what would happen to him and Jack? Would the general goofiness they had stop? And then something snapped him out of his thoughts: a kick from under the table. He looked up, and Jack was looking away pointedly, humming softly.

Jack really didn’t know what to do. He really enjoyed being idiots with Hiccup, but only when it was just them. No one would judge them then, if they did get the wrong idea. But now that there was people around practically everywhere…? So, naturally, to get his mind off things, he nudged-slash-kicked Hiccup from under the table.

A booted foot kicked back, and Jack smiled.

You know how when you’re sitting across someone, and you accidentally touch their foot, and you both shrink back, mutter a ‘sorry’ and never really look at each other again? This was practically the opposite. Continuing their conversation with Lauren and Xavier, Hiccup and Jack hit each other with their feet, choking back hisses of pain and laughs. The other two shared a look, biting back laughs themselves. _How could they be so clueless, but be so close to the truth_?

“Hey, Hiccup? Wanna walk with me for a minute?” Lauren asked, glancing at Xavier with a wry smile.

“Yeah, sure- OW!” Hiccup said, glaring at Jack. Jack cringed.

“Oops,” He said innocently, looking at Hiccup with a smile.

* * *

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

Still glaring, I got up from the table and walked out with Lauren. We weaved through the corridors, leaving everyone behind.

“So, how was your family?” I asked, dragging it out. Lauren looked at me and smiled.

“Pretty good, they’ve gotten even more annoying but…” Lauren said, holding up a finger. “That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about!” She sang. I sighed. Really, it was like I couldn’t sway her from what she wanted. She batted her eyes at me, and I rolled mine.

“I know, but…” I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

“Sit,” She said, pulling me next to a stained-glass window in an abandoned hallway.

“Alright,” I sighed. “Story time…”

* * *

...

* * *

 

“Shut up…” Lauren kept saying when I was telling her what happened. I was praying that she would be serious about it, but apparently the gods weren’t listening. She dragged every little miniscule detail out of me, and it was really hard explaining the flying parts of it (which was a lot). She knew that I didn’t have a broom! But somehow it slipped her mind, _thank the gods_ , and I was free to tell the rest of everything that might have ever happened in the two weeks that she was gone.

“Oh my god, Hiccup,” She said, gasping. Lauren attacked me, hugging my shoulder tightly. “Tell me, please please please tell me that you said something! Like, anything!” She said. I bit my lip. To reply, or not to reply? That was the question.

“Uh, nope I didn’t say anything. I just told you just about everything that happened,” I said. She was instantly off of me, sitting back with a huff.

“Really?” She deadpanned. “Really now? It would have been perfect,”

“Well, I didn’t, and no it would have been perfect.” I said.

“Why ever the hell not?” She asked.

“Because we were just goofing around!” I yelled. Lauren’s face went beat red, and I’m sure it wasn’t because of embarrassment. Her eye narrowed as I continued. “It wasn’t like we were serious, and we’re _friends_. Just friends.” My voice sounded a lot sadder than it should have been when I said the last part.

“Why can’t you just see-?!” She said, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me slightly. She let me go and sighed deeply, rubbing her temples as she did so. “Look, just… argh, WHY IS THIS SO DIFFICULT?” She yelled. “Okay… okay… you need to… _fudge, I know I can’t say anything_ …” She sounded like she was trying to figure out what she was trying to say, mumbling to herself in the process. Her head was in her hands. “Just… keep an open mind. Don’t say anything you aren’t sure about.”

“Why do you care about this all of a sudden?” I asked softly. She scoffed.

“I’ve always cared, you just haven’t seen it until now.” Lauren said. “Just promise me you’ll keep an open mind.”

“I will,” I said, resigned.

“Good.” She said. “So… wanna check out some songs I downloaded on my iPod?” She asked.

“Muggle artifacts don’t work in the castle,” I said quickly. It’s not like music wouldn’t be cool right now, I was just stating a fact. Lauren just smiled at me, dug into her pocket, and pulled out an iPod touch.

“The Muggle Studies professor keeps a Magical Power Source in her classroom at all times for ‘educational purposes’.” She said confidently, using finger-air-quotes for the words ‘educational purposes’.

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” I said, standing up with an air of grandeur. She laughed, stuffed the iPod back in her pocket, and stood up.

“C’mon, goofball,” She muttered, grabbing my wrist and pulling me through the halls.

* * *

** Jack’s P.O.V **

“Gee, thanks for the present, Xavier!” I said as soon as Hiccup and Lauren were out of ear-shot. Xavier sniggered. “I hope you know that’s sarcasm because-!”

“I know dude!” Xavier said, stopping me from my little rant. “It was just a prank, but… it might help you later on…”

“There is no way that I’m ever going to open that book!” I said, yelling as quietly as I could. “And that was just really messed up…”

“I was only kidding. Here, I have your real present here,” Xavier said, pulling out a box from his back pocket (with a little bit of difficulty, mind you, because he was sitting down) and tossed it to me. I ripped it open, only to find a little, white rubber band bracelet. I picked it up and slipped it on my wrist. Then I looked at Xavier questioningly. “You snap it against your wrist and you turn invisible,” He said, pointing at the bracelet.

“Whoa, what?” I said, taking the bracelet in two of my fingers, pulling back, and letting go. The _snap!_ that resulted from it was louder than I expected, and a couple people turned to look at me. I looked at them back. Nothing happened.

“Dude, hey, it works!” Xavier said, holding his hands out and waving them around. “You’re totally invisible!” I backed away from his hands cautiously, hoping that one of them wouldn’t hit me in the face.

Thinking about it obviously jinxed me, because not a moment after I thought that, his hand smacked across my face.

“OW! Hey!” I said, grabbing my cheek and snapping the bracelet again. Xavier’s eyes focused on my now-visible body. “Why’d you hit me?” I asked.

“I couldn’t see you! How was I supposed to know you were right there?”

I laughed. “So how’d you do this? You’re rubbish at Charms,” I stated. Xavier stuck his tongue out at me. I sneered back.

“I strung some rubber bands together, and I went to this witch in Amsterdam, and she Charmed it,” Xavier explained.

“Wow, an Amsterdam bracelet,” I said, sounding impressed. “Nice,”

“Figured you would like it, so… yeah,” Xavier said. “But aside from all that… how was your vacation?” He asked, leaning closer to me and batting his eyelashes girlishly. I rolled my eyes, and pushed his face away from me. I tried to hold my laugh in (because seriously, he looked ridiculous), but I failed (miserably, I might add).

“It was okay…” I said, not looking at him.

“How was Hiiiiiiiiccuuuuup?” Xavier asked, shaking my shoulder slightly as he drug out Freckles’ name.

“You act like I did something…” I said, glancing at him.

“Did you?”

“You’re acting like a girl…”

“Did you, or did you not, do or say something during these past two weeks?”

“Ummmm… no?”

“No?”

“I think…”

“You think?”

“Will you stop repeating everything I say?”

“Not until you give me an actual answer.”

I sighed. “It’s… complicated…”

“Complicated?” Xavier scoffed. He was annoying me now. Yes, I did just say that, you don’t need to repeat it. “What’s so complicated? Did you tell him that you liked him or not?”

“Can you not be so loud about all this, please?” I said, noticing that, hey, there was actually people in the Hall and yes, they were starting to stare! Xavier pursed his lips shut, and I sighed. “We were… joking around… only, I wasn’t… really. I… He said something like ‘you know you love me’ and I was like ‘of course I love you’… or something.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Xavier said, banging his head dramatically on the table. “You’re telling me that he didn’t take that seriously?” He asked.

“I think he said thanks…?” I said, a little confused. I didn’t really focus on it then, we were just kidding (well, he was kidding while I… ugh, life complicates everything).

“Oh, perfect,” Xavier said with a sarcastic tone and a quirky smile. “You don’t think that he would have given it any extra thought? Hiccup, the man of thoughts himself?” I scoffed.

“Well, that’s a good nickname for him,” I said. “But seriously, we were just joking. Of course he wasn’t going to give it another thought!” Xavier smacked his head onto the table once more.

“You are a real idiot, do you know that?” Xavier asked bluntly, no hint of sarcasm or playfulness in his voice. I looked at him curiously.

“What do you mean ‘a real idiot’?” I asked.

“You’re an idiot!” Xavier yelled. “I mean, obviously that’s going to mean something….! But you know what, you can figure that out. Let’s go play some Quidditch, yeah?” I didn’t understand half of what he said, but I nodded anyways.

We arrived on the field, Cleansweeps on our shoulders confidently as Xavier held the Quaffle on his hip. I walked to the center of the field and mounted my broom, not pushing off yet. Xavier did the same, his eyes dark with competitiveness and mischief.

“Now, I want a good clean game,” Xavier said, mimicking Madame Hooch, the Flying Instructor.

“From both of you,” I replied, also mimicking. Xavier smirked, and threw the Quaffle high into the air. “And the Quaffle is up!” I screamed, pretending to be the commentator. We both kicked off, shooting into the air, bot aiming for the Quaffle.

“And so are the players!” Xavier announced.

* * *

 

“So you’re telling me, that your brother fell off his bike, even when he had training wheels?” Hiccup exclaimed, looking at Lauren in disbelief. She just slapped him on the shoulder lightly, laughing.

“Yes! It was hilarious, because he just slowly fell to the floor…” Lauren burst out laughing. “And then he was trapped under it for like, a minute and he was screaming the whole time and…”

“And you were on the floor, laughing at him, not even trying to help?” Hiccup said, a smile on his face and a laugh bubbling in his chest. Lauren nodded, not able to talk because she was laughing so hard. “You are a terrible sister…” Hiccup said after he was done laughing.

“I’m not terrible!” Lauren argued. “You would have laughed too!”

“Maybe! But I would have at least helped the poor kid!”

“You would have laughed your ass off!” Lauren said. “But, okay, whatever. Over it. Where’s Toothless?” She asked.

“Probably in my room, either sleeping or chewing on my socks,” Hiccup replied nonchalantly. “You miss him, huh?”

“Terribly!” Lauren cried. Hiccup picked up Lauren’s iPod that was in the middle of the floor between them, and started scrolling through her songs. “You better pick a good song…” She warned.

“Don’t worry, I will… oh, hey! I love this song!” Hiccup said, hitting the iPod with his thumb lightly. “ _Lately I’ve been, I’ve been losing sleep_ ~” Hiccup sang with the music.

“ _Dreaming about the things that we could be_ ~” Lauren chimed in, batting her eyelashes dreamily at Hiccup. “ _And baby, I’ve been, I’ve been praying hard, said no more counting dollars, we’ll be counting stars_ ~”

“ _Yeah, we’ll be counting stars_ ~” Hiccup sang. The two burst out laughing. The song continued to play as they talked again.

“Ready for classes to start up again?” Lauren asked. Hiccup sighed dramatically and threw his head back.

“Nooooooo,” He groaned. “Are you?”

“Heck no, but… would you say I’m a nerd if I was excited to be back?” Lauren asked, cringing a little as she awaited Hiccup’s answer. He just looked at her with his mouth slightly open, his eyes squinted a little to top off his confused expression.

“No… why would I call you a nerd?” Hiccup asked.

“My brother called me a nerd before I left,” Lauren said.

“You aren’t a nerd, he was probably joking around.” He assured.

“Okay,” Lauren said, smiling a bit. “So, um… Hiccup? Answer me something.”

“Alright, shoot,” Hiccup said, looking at the girl and preparing himself to answer the question. Lauren took a deep breath, debating whether she would say it or not. She closed her eyes, as if already mentally preparing herself for impact, and asked.

“Do you think Jack likes you?” She blurted out before the sane part of her could stop it. Hiccup’s forest green eyes instantly widened, biting the inside of his bottom lip as he took a deep breath and nodded once, not in an answer to the question, though.

“I… I don’t even know if he swings that way, first of all…” Hiccup said, running hand through his hair.

“Just for right now, let’s say he did,” Lauren said, moving her hands to match her words. “What would you think?” She tried to quell the hope in her eyes, and the smile that was threatening to spread across her face.

“Ah… why are you asking me this?” Hiccup said, holding his head in his hands for a second before looking up at Lauren again. “I… I don’t know. Maybe? I don’t want to sound too hopeful but… yes? I hope! I mean, we’re completely different and we have almost nothing in common…”

“You both know what it’s like to lose someone important to you,” Lauren pointed out.

“Yeah, that’s basically the only thing we have in common, and it’s not even good!” Hiccup said.

“Opposites attract, what can I say?” Lauren said, allowing herself to smile, just a little. Hiccup groaned because of the cheesiness of the comment, smacking his forehead with his palm as he did so.

“Are you going all Ms. Physics-major on me now?” Hiccup asked, laughing a little as he did so.

“Not only Physics, but I’m also a major in matchmaking-101! It’s your lucky day!” Lauren joked. Hiccup just laughed as he spread himself on the carpeted floor beneath them.

“Lucky me…” He muttered. “Aaaaaagh, what am I going to do?” He groaned, rubbing his hands across his face.

“One of these days, you’ll trust him enough to say something…” Lauren mumbled, moving slightly to sit next to Hiccup’s head, playing with a piece of his auburn hair.

“That’s the thing!” Hiccup exclaimed, throwing his hands up and nearly hitting Lauren. “I _do_ trust him! Like, a lot! Besides you, he’s my best friend! We’ve been getting super close these past months, and it’s like… I don’t want to be friend-zoned, you know?”

“I know how it feels,” Lauren said, looking down at Hiccup’s upside down face with an encouraging smile. “But sometimes you just got to put yourself out there,”

“What if… what if he freaks out?” Hiccup asked, his voice breaking a bit. “What if he’s grossed out, or if he hates me or…?” He would have continued if Lauren didn’t poke him on the forehead, nearly missing his eye.

“Then he’s a terrible person, and I would go and personally punch him in the face for you,” Lauren said simply, her hazel eyes glinting in earnest. “But I’m pretty sure he won’t.” Hiccup rolled his eyes, touched by his friend’s eagerness to stand up for him if the time came.

“How do you know that?” Hiccup said softly, smiling a bit as he looked up at her.

“I’m a girl, I just do,” She said, dropping the piece of hair she was playing with. “Hey, can I braid your hair?” Hiccup smiled, his eyes narrowed at the random question.

“Uhm, no?” He said, pressing his hair down onto his head.

“Oh come on!” Lauren whined. “One braid! Just one, I promise!”

“Fine, fine…” Hiccup said, resigned. He couldn’t win this. He sat up, and Lauren crawled on her knees towards him. About a minute later, Lauren moved away, admiring her handiwork: a small braid thinner than a pinkie finger tucked neatly right behind Hiccup’s ear, out of view unless you looked closely.

“Done!” Lauren said, sitting back on her own feet. Hiccup’s hand flew up and felt the braid. He twisted it between his fingers before he let it go and turned his attention to Lauren.

“I can’t see it, but I bet it looks great,” Hiccup assured. Lauren just laughed.

“It looks fine. You can barely see it unless you looked really hard at the side of your face or something,” She said, laughing. “You should let me braid your hair more often,” She continued, looking at the rest of his hair as if she was planning on what to do with it.

“Oh no…” Hiccup said, moving away. “There is no way I’m letting you braid my hair anymore! You said just one!”

“I said ‘more often’” Lauren said with a laugh. “That practically means ‘some other time’.”

“Psssh, yeah. ‘Practically’.” Hiccup said, feigning irritation fairly accurately as he rolled his eyes.

“Oh, come on!” Lauren said, shaking his arm. “Don’t go all Mr. Dramatics on me!” Hiccup smiled, then put a hand to his forehead, swooning.

“Oh, my heart!” He cried in a British accent (which was surprisingly accurate, and that was the main reason why Lauren died laughing after this). “I cannot go on! My dear Lauren, you must go on without me!”

(As I said earlier) Lauren died laughing. She actually fell on her side, not able to breathe as she laughed so hard she snorted a couple times. Hiccup thought this was incredibly funny, and he wished he had something to record her with. He smacked himself on the forehead, and scrambled to get ahold of Lauren’s iPod before she recovered. He effectively got onto the camera, switched it to video, and pressed ‘Record’.

Needless to say, if Hiccup sent that video to America’s Funniest Videos, it would probably win the $100,000 prize.

Lauren soon recovered, trying to stop herself but finding it to be half-way impossible. But she was breathing almost normally after a couple minutes, and Hiccup already saved the video, and Lauren wouldn’t be the wiser until she looked at her pictures later on.

“You are such a weirdo!” Lauren cried, her cheeks hurting because of how long she had been smiling. Hiccup smiled at her, struggling not to smile himself.

“Takes one to know one,” Hiccup remarked with sass. Lauren just glared at him.

“For your information, I am not- what the heck?” Lauren said, cutting herself off with her question. She was up on her feet in seconds, walking towards the small window the classroom had. “I swear, I thought I just saw…”

“What are you talking about?” Hiccup said, appearing next to her in the window. There was nothing but the nice Hogwarts grounds, all green with rolling hills. The Quidditch pitch was seemingly empty as well, but then little figures darted this way and that. “Someone’s really playing Quidditch?” Hiccup deadpanned.

“Not just someone,” Lauren said, laughing. “It’s Xavier and Jack!”

“How… how can you tell all the way from here?” Hiccup stuttered, looking at Lauren with awe. Seriously, the pitch was far away! How could she point out something so definite and minute as the details of who the figures were? Lauren just gave him a confident smile, bouncing on the balls of her feet slightly.

“I just can,” She said. “Now, are we going to give them a run for their money or not?”

“You’re telling me that you want us to join their match?” Hiccup deadpanned.

“Well, of course!” Lauren said.

* * *

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

Walking onto the pitch, with Cleansweeps on our shoulders, felt a little off. Lauren had this confident swagger as she stepped out onto the field, as if she belonged there, when in reality she hasn’t played a game of Quidditch in her life. Flying was natural to me, but I wish Toothless would stop chewing on my bed curtains for at least three minutes so I could show them what _real_ flying was like.

“Yo!” Lauren called to the two people in the air. They looked. Xavier had a nice kind of smirk on his face, while Jack’s eyes glinted with interest, as if asking ‘ _what are you doing here_?’

“Hey!” I called waving at them. Jack smiled and waved back.

“Whatcha guys doin’ out here?” Jack asked. Haha, one point for me.

“Can we play?” Lauren asked, smiling. The two in the air shared a look.

“Sure!” Xavier called. “You two versus us!”

“No fair!” I yelled. “You’re both on the Quidditch team! We aren’t!” The Quidditch season is starting up late this year, cramming all the matches into a couple months.

“Fine!” Jack called. “You and X versus me and Lauren!”

“Sounds like a plan!” Lauren called, mounting her broom swiftly and kicking off. I mounted my broom and rose into the air in a quick ascent, moving myself next to Xavier. He high-fived me.

“Okay! So what are we playing to? Fifty?” Xavier asked, looking at the other two across from us eagerly.

“Fifty it is!” Jack exclaimed. The match had begun.

* * *

 

**...**

* * *

 

The match was weird, in a sense. Xavier and I dominated the field. Lauren turned out to be pretty good at Quidditch. And Jack… well, people didn’t exactly exaggerate his skills on the pitch. At some point during the match (as if I didn’t know, it was 20 vs. 40 to me and Xavier), Xavier and Lauren were chasing each other around the field. I was hovering in the middle of the field, wondering when they were going to knock it off, when Jack appeared above me, hanging upside down.

“Hey you,” Jack said, his smirk confident enough to make me knees go weak… if I was actually standing.

“Well, hello,” I said, laughing.

“What’s up?” He asked, still upside-down.

“Uh… us?” I replied. Jack chuckled, finally flipping so that he was right-side up and on my right side. I looked up at the sky, suppressing my smile, and shaking my head. Gods help me now…

“That’s true,” Jack said. “But you knew what I meant, smartass.”

“Language, Jackson!” I gasped, holding a hand to my heart. He rolled his eyes at me. “I’m insulted that you would say such a thing around me!”

“I’m insulted that you keep on stealing the Quaffle from me and making stupid points!” Jack said, hooking me into a headlock and rubbing his knuckles across my scalp. I flailed around, trying to get out of his grasp while staying on my broom.

“Jack, get off me!” I yelled. He laughed and finally let me go. My hands instantly went to my hair, flattening it down and making sure fit wasn’t sticking up all over the place. “I mean, it’s not my fault you suck at Quidditch!” I quipped. Jack glared at me, his eyes filled with playful malice.

“Don’t make me knock you off your broom…” He growled.

“You know, that only works if you can catch me!” I said. He threw his arms out, trying to grab me, but I darted away. I laughed, noticing he was right behind me.

“Get back here, Freckles!” He yelled, urging his broom to go faster, no doubt. Yes, I would rather be on Toothless, but this was pretty fun. I swooped into a dive, and pulled up from it literally a foot from the ground. I looped upside-down once just for the fun of it, and came back right-side up again with a little jerk. I laughed breathlessly, glancing behind me at Jack. He was smiling too. I banked right, and shot into the air again. When I thought I was high enough, I pulled up on my broom, circling in a nice loop that I could only describe as one you would see in a rollercoaster. Jack was below, staring at me as if I was a crazy person, but at the same time with an air of amazement in his expression.

“Jealous, Frosty?” I called.

“In your dreams, Frecks!” He called back.

“Hey Hiccup!” Xavier yelled. I turned, and I saw a streak of dark red. My hands went up instantly, and a second later, I was staring at my hands in disbelief. I caught the Quaffle. “Go!” My teammate yelled. With a confident smirk, I darted away again, this time heading to the goal posts.

“Oh no you don’t!” Jack yelled, sounding like he was right by my ear. I sank lower towards my broomstick, the Quaffle tucked under my arm, and willed my broom to go faster.

“Oh yes I will!” I shouted back to him, throwing the Quaffle into one of the goal posts. It went through, and fell to the floor helplessly with a faint _thump_!

“YEAH!” I heard Xavier say across the field.

“WHOA!” Jack yelled, and a moment later, he crashed into me.

“Guys!” Lauren cried. Jack and I fell to the ground, our brooms slowing our fall a bit. About ten feet from the ground, they were no use as they flew away. “Rouge brooms!” Lauren said, and she and Xavier flew off to chase them down.

Jack and I, on the other hand, tumbled to the ground, and how I managed to end up being on top of him was a mystery, but hey look! I was basically laying on top of him.

“Fuck you and your Quidditch skills…” Jack mumbled lightly, no real venom behind his words as he flashed me a genuine smile. I laughed. “You should be on the Quidditch team,” He said.

“And have to play against you?” I asked. “Pfft, that’ll be too easy,”

“Then what have you go to lose?” Jack said quietly.

“Just about, practically… everything…” I mumbled, not really knowing what I was saying. Jack’s eyelids slid closed, and so did mine, because pretty soon I couldn’t see a thing (which, usually happens when your eyes are closed, duh). I was leaning in closer to him, and I felt a sudden pressure on the small of my back. It took me a second to figure out that it was Jack’s hand. I could feel his breath on my skin, and a sensation ran up my spine.

And there it was again, the merest touch of his lips onto mine once again. Why did we ever stop the first time? Oh, right, Toothless. But he wasn’t here now.

This lasted for literally a fraction of a second. Maybe a fraction of a fraction. Our lips barely grazed together, and I sort of knew something was going to happen. But I tried to push it out of my mind. But I was right.

“YOU GUYS! LOOK OUT!” Xavier yelled. Jack and I jumped apart. He rolled over, pressing me onto the ground so fast that I didn’t know what happened. _He was shielding me from whatever it was we had to look out for_ …

Not two seconds later, a Cleensweep crashed into the ground, exploding onto the field with a cloud of dirt and wood splinters flying practically everywhere. After the mini-explosion was over, Xavier and Lauren landed gingerly onto the field, Lauren holding one broom in each of her hands.

Jack stood up, cheeks tinted red, and held out a hand to me. I took it without hesitation, and he pulled me up easily. He let go of my hand swiftly, and my heart dropped. I did something wrong. That was wrong. This whole thing was wrong.

“That was awesome!” Jack yelled, throwing his hands in the air as if nothing happened.

“I didn’t know brooms exploded, dude!” Xavier said, mimicking Jack’s movements, and they high-fived each other, talking excitedly about the explosion and the game. Lauren walked up to me, dropped the brooms, and pulled me into a hug. I instantly wrapped my arms around her.

“I’m glad you’re okay…” She mumbled.

“But I’m not…” I replied.

“I know, I saw,” Lauren said, sadness in her voice.

“You did?”

“Yeah,” She said. She pulled away, and I was forced to let go. “Nice score, though.” She commented. “You should be on the Quidditch team,”

“Yeah, Jack said something about that,” I muttered, looking down on the floor, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. “You should too, I mean, you’re pretty good on a broom.”

“Not as good as you!” Lauren cried. “You would probably be the reason Ravenclaw gets the Cup this year! You should totally join!”

“I’m a fishbone, they wouldn’t want me on the team…” I said. She smacked me upside the head.

“You’re joining.” She said with finality. “Even if I have to drag you to those try outs…”

“Okay, okay, fine. I’ll try out…”

“Good,” She said.

“Hey! We should probably repair this before we get in trouble,” Jack said loudly to me and Lauren.

“Could you just do that to a broom?” I asked. “I mean, it has to be more complex than that!”

“Everything’s a bit more complex than they seem, Hiccup,” Jack replied, raising his eyebrows, his blue eyes sparkling, his lips twisted into an ironic smile. There was something in that sentence that got under my skin, that pestered my conscious, but I couldn’t pick it out.

“Oh, I’ll do the spell then,” Xavier said, pulling out his wand with a flourish.

“No offense, Xavier,” Jack said, pushing his wand point down. “You’re terrible at Charms.”

“What makes you think that?” Xavier squawked.

“Things blow up when you do the spells,” Jack deadpanned.

“Oh, for the love of-!” Lauren said, her wand in her hand as she pointing it at the shattered remains of the Cleansweep. “ _Reparo_!” She said confidently. The pieces flew back together, mending itself without a scratch left on it’s surface. “There, now can we please go inside before we get in trouble. I’m sure one of the professors heard that-”

“Shut it!” I said. “You’re going to ji-”

“Crickey! Wha the ‘ell ‘appened?” A thick Australian accent said. Lauren jinxed us, just like I thought, because running towards us was none other than Bunnymund, he boomerangs in his hands.

“Er, slight broom explosion, Professor,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “We’re sorry,”

“’Ow in the ‘ell did you four manage to make a broom explode?” The tall bunny-man asked, taking hold of the now-repaired Cleansweep and inspecting it. He tossed it from paw to paw, and looked at it, grass-green eyes squinting with concentration.

“A couple of brooms went rouge when Hiccup and Jack crashed, sir,” Xavier said as innocently as a child would say _‘I didn’t do it’_. Bunnymund glanced at Jack and I, and I squirmed a little. His gaze was analytical, as if he was trying to the see what Xavier was telling him was true. The feeling only lasted a second, because once Bunnymund saw the grass stains on our pants and dirt on our shirts, his look softened.

“There was another broom, right?” The professor said with a smirk.

“What? Of course there was another broom, Kangaroo!” Jack said, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms across his chest.

“Oi, Frostbite!” Bunnymund said. “’Ow many times do I have to tell ya? I’m not a kangaroo!”

“It’s the accent,” I muttered, earning a slight glare from him. I put my hands up in defense, backing away slowly. Bunny nodded, pursing his lips. Okay, thank the gods, I thought he would have killed me.

“Yeah, you’re right, Bite-size.” Bunnymund said with a slight chuckle. “Well, you guys need to be more careful. We don’t need you in the Hospital Wing, especially when classes are startin’ again,”

“Yes, professor,” Lauren said. “We’ll stay out of trouble,”

“Well… maybe,” Jack said. Bunny glared at him, and then pointed at Lauren and me.

“I’m trusting you to keep them out of trouble,” He said, pointing at Jack and Xavier. I saluted him.

“Yes professor!” I said, laughing slightly as I put my hand down. Jack was staring at me. I just rolled my eyes at him, sticking out my tongue. Bunny groaned, watching our exchange, and smacked his forehead with his paw, letting it slide down his face.

“Lauren, you’re my only hope now,” He groaned.

“It’s alright, professor. I basically have them wrapped around my finger,” She said confidently.

“What?” Xavier, Jack and I said at the same time. Lauren just laughed.

“You heard her,” Bunny said. “She’s got all of ya whipped,” He laughed, then ruffled Lauren’s hair. “See you all in class tomorrow.”

“See ya, Kangaroo!” Jack said, waving eccentrically. I could see Bunny roll his eyes, even if his back was towards us.  Then he turned to Lauren. “You do not have us wrapped around your finger!” He argued, huffing as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Yes I do,” She said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “You just don’t want to admit it,”

“I’m not going to argue with you because I know I’m right.” Jack said sassily. I looked at Xavier, and he was looking and me, wide eyed, as if he was scared Jack was planning his own funeral. I shrugged, and tried to keep the smile off my face.

“Oh, you’re right?” Lauren said, the level of venom in her voice a little too high, even if she was joking. She still hand her wand in her hand, twirling it about her fingers, as she walked towards Jack menacingly. In a blur, her wand was pressed against Jack’s throat, a smile on her lips. “Are you sure you’re right?” She asked in a low voice.

“Of course,” Jack said confidently, smiling back. “I know you won’t shoot me, Lauren.” He murmured.

“I guess I’m full of surprises then,” she said back. Jack’s eyes widened. “ _Petrificus Totalus_!” She said. Jack went rigid, his arms and legs snapping together as he toppled to the ground with a stone-like _crash_! Xavier and I looked at Jack, mouths gaping open in awe. I mean, we really didn’t think that she would do it! But she did, and Jack’s eyes were looking from me, to Lauren, to Xavier, and then back to me in a flurry.

“Lauren…” Xavier gasped.

“Loor!” I whined. “Un-jinx him right now!”

“He deserves what he got…” She mumbled, but there was a smile on her face. She un-jinxed Jack, and he lifted himself up onto his elbows, looking up at Lauren.

“Okay, maybe you do have us wrapped around your finger…” Jack mumbled, breathing as if he just ran a marathon. Lauren lifted her pinkie finger in the air.

“Right on my pinkie,” She said with a laugh. Xavier looked at her as if she was crazy.

“I think you’re letting power go to your head…” Xavier said, pressing his hand on her forehead. “Are you sure you aren’t sick or something?” Lauren just scoffed, and pushed his hand away, laughing a little. I fell on my knees next to Jack, trying not to seem too desperate to see if he was okay.

“Are you alright?” I asked quietly, a small hopeful smile on my face. Jack’s eyes crinkled a little as he smiled up at me (literally, up at me! I almost laughed at the irony. Usually I’m looking up at him!).

“I’ve been better,” Jack said, lifting his hand to rub the side of his head. “A little light headed but not too bad,”

“Okay,” I said, relieved a bit. I haven’t been Body-Binded, not personally, but I read that the jinx left some… unusual effects on someone, depending on how long the jinx was left in effect. “I was worried for a second,” I said, laughing nervously. The feeling came over me in an instant. Why was I nervous? I mentally slapped myself; _duh, look at what almost happened_.

“Yeah, I can tell,” Jack said, his shoulders shaking a bit as he laughed silently. He tried to get up, but he gave up, blinking rapidly. I was instantly on my feet.

“Here, let me help,” I said, holding out my hand. He took it, and I pulled him up. We stood there for who knows how long, less than six inches away from each other, me looking up at him, both of us smiling.

“Thanks for the help,” Jack said quietly. If I wasn’t still holding onto his hand, I probably would have fallen. Why did my knees have to choose now to go weak?

“Any time,” I replied, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks. Jack turned red too, and he let go of my hand, coughing awkwardly into it as he did so. He stepped back a little.

“So, uh, thanks,” He said.

“You do realize that you already said that, right?” I said, crossing my arms across my chest and raising my eyebrows at him.

“Shut up Freckles…” He said, going even redder. “It’s… uh, getting pretty late. We should all, uh, put the brooms away and get inside,” Jack said, stuttering oddly. Jack never stuttered. Xavier, Lauren and I all shared a look, but shrugged away and grabbed our brooms. We put them back into the broom shed and strolled back into the castle.

The corridors were oddly bare, and then I remembered that everyone was probably at the Welcome-Back feast. We all made our way to the Great Hall without much discussion about it. We just… somehow showed up there. Jack ruffled my hair as he went to his house’s table, and I scowled at him, but I _swear_ his touch lingered. I sat down, almost alone except for a few of my roommates who I never really talk to in the first place. They didn’t really bother me, they just dealt with me. Jack and I sat where we could clearly see each other and he gave me a wave. I smiled and waved back.

The feast began and soon I was stuffing my face with practically everything I could get my hands on. It was funny, how much I ate but I still never gained any weight. My dad would have sighed if he looked at me now. He thinks that I starve myself or something, and that’s the reason why I look like this. I tried explaining the whole metabolism thing, but he wouldn’t have any of it. I rolled my eyes at my thoughts and continued to eat.

After we all stuffed our faces with various desserts (AKA brownies, cakes, cupcakes, tiramisu, candy and even more) we all walked away, heading to our common rooms to sleep and get ready for classes the next day. Jack, Xavier and Lauren were already at the Great Hall’s doors, waiting for me as I pushed through the obnoxious crowd of students. I mean, seriously, you can walk faster than that!

“About freaking time!” Jack said, slinging an arm around my shoulders and pulling me through the rest of the crowd as I staggered towards them. “If you took any longer, we would have called the police!”

“Oh, yeah, right, like the police can even see the castle,” I said, rolling my eyes. Lauren and Xavier snorted with laughter.

“You know what I meant. Stop being a smartass.” Jack said, squeezing my shoulders a bit.

“Why are you always calling me a smartass?” I said, annoyed.

“Uh, because you are one,” Xavier said, laughing at the supposed-to-be-menacing glare I gave him afterwards. “Dude, never ever do that again. It looks like you’re about to shit yourself.” We all burst out laughing, and I didn’t know who was louder: Lauren or Jack.

“Okay…” Jack wheezed, clutching at his chest. “Okay, I’m going to bed before any of you can kill me from laughing too hard.”

“Aw, look, Jack can’t hang…” Lauren said, pouting. Jack glared at her.

“I am going to ignore you,” Jack said.

“Oh, come on, you love meeeeeeee…” Lauren said, launching herself at him and hugging him furiously.

“Lauren! Get off!”

“Admit it! You love me!”

“Never!”

“Fine then! You have officially hurt my feelings, Jack Frost!” Lauren said letting go of him and crossing her arms with a fake pout on her face.

“Good, deal with it!” Jack cried. Then he smiled. And pulled me into a hug, wrapping his arms around my torso and smothering me. I hugged his shoulders. It was over just as quick as it began. “Night guys,” Jack said, turning around and jogging down the hall.

“Night!”

“Good night!”

“See ya!”

As Jack skidded across the corner, Lauren and Xavier started laughing. I looked at them as if they were a bunch of weirdoes.

“Uh, are you guys on something?” I asked.

“You… you really don’t see it, do you?” Lauren said, sobering up before Xavier.

“See what?” I asked, dumbfounded. What in the world was she talking about?

“He doesn’t see it…” Xavier mumbled. “Why in the world don’t they see it?!?” He said, his hair turning red and orange, blending in with the blonde to look like his hair was on fire. His eyes slowly changed color until they were a deep purple. Lauren put a hand on his shoulder, and his hair seemed subdued, as if it wasn’t on fire anymore. It was still red, though.

“I told you, wishful thinking,” She said.

“Uh, what are you guys talking about?” I asked.

“You really are clueless, aren’t you?” Xavier asked.

“Why do you think that Jack hugged you, and only you, good night?” Lauren asked, her voice a bit gentler than Xavier’s.

“He didn’t only hug me,” I said. “He hugged you, and the only reason why he didn’t hug you, Xavier, is that you’re going to see him in a bit anyway.” That was the only possible reasoning, right? No, I was right, don’t say anything. Xavier rolled his eyes, and Lauren sighed.

“He’s obviously not going to listen to anything we have to say,” Xavier said.

“When have they ever?” Lauren said, a small smile on her lips.

“Would you please stop talking like I’m not here?” I asked. I rolled my eyes. I punched Lauren in the arm softly. “That’s for talking about me like I’m not here,” I said, answering her question before she asked it. Then I punched Xavier, a bit harder than Lauren. “And that’s for saying that my glare looked like I was going to shit myself,” Xavier chuckled.

“Good night, Hiccup,” Lauren said, hugging me softly.

“Night,” I responded.

“See ya in Potions,” Xavier said, saluting me.

“Night guys,” I said. I walked away.

At my common room, everyone was already asleep. Thank the gods that Ravenclaws were sensible and slept early. Really, you would think I was a rebel because I stayed up later than nine o’clock on a school night. I tip-toed inside my room, Toothless on my bed and my roommates snoring. I was right earlier, Toothless was playing with one of my socks.

“Wha-?” I asked, looking at said sock. I pulled it away from the cat, and it glared at me. “Don’t give me that look. You know better than to play with my clothes!” I whispered. I swear Toothless shrugged in response. “Did you eat today, bud?” I asked. He purred in response, a deep rumbling from his chest. I chuckled a little, running my hand across his back and scratching his ears. “Good.” I said.

Quickly, I changed into a baggy pair of dark green sweat pants and a white tank top. I sank into my bed, Toothless right there with me.

I remembered everything that happened today. Jack and I did technically kiss, right? I mean, he was acting sort of weird afterward, so… yes? Maybe? Ugh, this was so complicated!

But before I could delve deep enough into those thoughts, sleep took me as its own.

* * *

** Jack’s P.O.V  **

Holy fuck… well, that just happened. _Yes_ , I had to remind myself, _it did just happen_. Again. We almost kissed, we practically did kiss, right? But it was better this time around. He wasn’t acting weird, he was his sarcastic self after. I tried to go back to normal, but it was hard. My back was sore in certain places because of the broom explosion, but I ignored those for now.

I thought the Gryffindor common room would be empty by now. We’re always doing something, so it’s not like we’re in there all time. And it was practically empty, but there was one figure on the couch.

“Oh, hey Jack!” the figure called to me. It stood, and it was none other than Sammy. Remember the girl whose heart I broke during the Christmas Ball? Yeah, her.

“Hey Sammy,” I said, trying to sound happy. She ran over and hugged me. It felt wrong. Like, when I hug Lauren, there’s a certain warmth about it, and when I hug Hiccup, it’s like he’s the missing piece of a puzzle the way he fits perfectly against me… but this felt weird. There wasn’t a warmth, and this just felt wrong.

“I’m so glad to be back,” She mumbled, her mouth close to my ear. All I did was fake yawn and pry her arms off my neck.

“It’s been a long day. I should probably go to bed…” I said, pretending to stretch.

“Oh alright,” she said, her face almost downtrodden. But then she stood on her tip-toes and kissed my cheek. “Good night Jack,”

“Night,” I said, my voice cold and emotionless. I slipped away from her and ran up the stairs in an instant. My blood was boiling, ever so slightly

The last person who kissed my cheek was Hiccup, and that’s the only person who I want kissing me.

Seeing red, I pulled on pajamas and threw myself into bed, covering myself with my blankets angrily. This was wrong. Sammy was wrong. Having her kiss me wasn’t right; the action felt cold and lifeless. That shouldn’t have happened, not after what happened today with Hiccup…

On that thought, a little smile came on my lips, and I fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the spells aren't mine!  
> Thank you for reading! Tell me what you think!


	20. Complications

Chapter Twenty: Complications

Classes came back with a vengeance, as they always did, smacking down hard on the students whose minds were still filled with what had happened over break. Everyone was struggling; teachers and students alike looked like utter crap in the mornings, and all of them had to keep focused on the initial task at hand. Students had to constantly remind themselves to do their homework, and it was on those days that Jack and Hiccup would retreat silently to the Room of Requirement to relax and get their work done.

Two weeks passed by, with at least three explosions in Potions, many misaimed jinxes in Defense Against the Dark Arts, countless crystal goblets with rat tails, and about fifteen mispronounced Charms. And that was only in the classes that Hiccup and Jack were in. Who knew what disasters fell in the other classrooms?

Finally, after those terrible first weeks back, things started swinging back into the ‘normalcy’ side of the hectic scale. Walking to classes seemed like it was an instinct, rather than thinking about what class you had to go to next, doing homework was second-nature, and listening to lectures was actually starting to make sense. Well, at least to Hiccup, but he was a Ravenclaw; learning was a part of his diet, right?

* * *

 

** Jack’s P.O.V **

Things were starting to feel right again. Classes went by in a breeze, and having Hiccup next to me wasn’t bad either. Actually, it was great. We joked around and were just being ourselves, just like we were on break. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. At night, Hiccup, Toothless and I would go flying, having races and playing around… I wanted to be up there more often, but what could you do? School is school.

Things all started to go downhill when Sammy walked into the picture again. Whenever she saw me, she would cling to me as if she were my clothes! I tried to make it a bit obvious that I wasn’t really interested. Hell, I pry her off me every day and hide as much as possible, I even told her that I wasn’t looking for a relationship, but that crazy woman just won’t budge!

Hiccup laughs about it, and brushes it off to the side, but I know he gets uncomfortable whenever she’s around.

“So, where’s your girl, Frosty?” Hiccup said, walking out of Defense.

“Hopefully far away on a Caribbean cruise, falling in love with some hunk with a really good tan,” I muttered. Hiccup laughed, looking away from me as he rolled his eyes. “I’m serious, the next time she walks over here I’m going to scream,”

“Better get your diaphragm warmed up then…” Hiccup replied, pointing down the hall.

“Shit!” I said. Sammy was walking our way. I grabbed Hiccup’s arm, and darted down the hallway before she could come any closer.

“Jack!” Hiccup said, trying to get his arm out of my grasp. I didn’t let go, though, and I just kept pulling him down the hall. We scrambled up a flight of stairs, and came across another corridor, one that wasn’t in use. Hiccup wrenched his wrist away, and instantly grabbed for one of the doorknobs. It was locked.

“Fudge…” Hiccup said, hanging his head. I almost laughed at the sight, but it only lasted a second because he _moved_. Quickly, too. He kicked the door in with one kick. How the heck could a kid his size kick a door down on the first try?! Not many, I assure you! I stared at him. “Well, we haven’t got all day!” He huffed, grabbing my hand, and pulling me inside.

“You know, there is a spell for that,” I said, laughing.

“Sorry I panicked!” Hiccup said.

“ _Reparo_ …” I muttered, pointing my wand at the door. It repaired itself immediately. And then the lock clicked, locking us inside the small classroom. “Welp, we’re stuck in here for a while,” I proclaimed with a smile.

“We should probably get started on our homework then,” Hiccup sighed. “Wait… can’t we just unlock the door now?” He asked.

“Well, yeah,” I said. “But I don’t want to go out there with stalker Sammy,”

“Why not?” Hiccup scoffed.

“I’d rather be with you,” I said, my expression softening. Hiccup blushed a bit, moving his way to one of the desks and pulling out his homework.

“Okay, then,” Hiccup said, twirling a pencil in between his fingers before tackling the homework at hand.

* * *

**... **

* * *

 

I hate homework. I really do.

It’s not just the initial ‘mental-torture’ part that gets to me, it’s the ‘you-can-be-doing-something-so-much-funner-than-this-with-Hiccup’ part that makes me want to scream. And he’s just so focused! It makes me wonder if he gets that intense gaze sometime else other than when he’s thinking about an answer…

I jot down as many answers as I can, paraphrasing Hiccup if I’m really desperate. Stupid potions… who cares what a pinch of nightmare dust can do to a sweet-dream elixir? It just didn’t make sense. But I wrote it down to my best of my abilities, which means I was going to get an F anyways. Pitch hates practically everyone.

Hiccup threw down his pencil, leaning back in his chair with a triumphant laugh. He ran his hands through his hair once, staring down at his work.

“Ha, finished!” He said, more to himself than anything else.

“Good, let me copy!” I said, snatching his paper away.

“Jack!” He screamed, getting up and leaning over me, trying to get his homework back. “No! Don’t copy! You need to figure this out for yourself!”

“I did most of it! I only need, like, two answers! C’mon Freckles!” I argued, pouting a bit at the end. Hiccup huffed, sitting back in his chair.

“Fine, then we can get out of here…” he muttered.

“Oh, don’t be so mopey…” I said, poking his nose before getting those few answers that I needed. “There! See, was that so terrible?” I asked, handing him back his paper. He snatched it back, and stuffed it in his backpack.

“Terrible,” He said with a fake shudder. “C’mon, let’s go,”

“Why the rush?” I asked, looking at him curiously.

“I just thought you would rather see your _girlfriend_ …” Hiccup said, singing the last word as he walked to the door. Just the word itself sent chills up my spine, as if ten thousand bugs just ran up my legs and ventured around my body.

“She is not my girlfriend,” I growled, shoving everything into my rucksack.

“Why not? You guys are perfect for each other!” Hiccup said, a bit of sarcasm and bitterness in his voice.

“We aren’t perfect! She’s creepy! I wouldn’t like her in a million years!” I yelled, throwing my hands in the air as I shrugged my bag onto my shoulder.

“Why don’t you like her?” Hiccup asked, genuinely curios this time. My hard expression softened, and I sighed.

“She’s uh… not my type,” I said. That wasn’t technically a lie, right? She _wasn’t_ my type! She was a girl!

“Ah, the oldest excuse in the book, I see how it is…” Hiccup said, smiling wryly and nodding his head. “C’mon,” He said.

“I’m not leaving this classroom,” I said simply, crossing my arms. “She’s going to find me, one way or another, and it’ll all be bad. I’m not going.” Hiccup glowered at me, those green eyes of his mere slits as they glared. Then he sighed, and rolled his eyes, hands on his hips.

“Do I really have to drag you out of here?” He asked simply, the amount of sass in his voice too much. I had to crack a smile.

“Drag me out, and I’ll scream bloody murder,” I replied.

“I’ll take my chances,” He said, lunging forward and taking my hand in his. My face bloomed with color. Darn his freckled cuteness… And then he started pulling me. “Come… on… ugh, why are you so-? OOF!” He said, putting so much effort in trying to pull me that he fell on the floor… pulling me along with him. We landed against the hard marble floor with an unforgiving _smack_! I was laughing.

“This proves that you should never try to force anyone to do anything, Hiccup,” I said, putting my hands on either side of his body and lifting part of my body up. “It leaves you in bad situations.”

“Jaaaaaaaack…” Hiccup whined, struggling under me. “Get up…. Now. Seriously dude, this isn’t cool.”

“Life isn’t cool.” I said. Hiccup put his hands on my shoulders, and with one hard push, he was out from under me, getting back onto his feet with about as much grace as a newborn giraffe or a woman with seven-inch heels. He huffed, and looked at me expectantly. I got up off the floor, dusted myself off, and looked at him with the same expression. “I’m not going out there,”

“If only I knew some invisibility spells…” Hiccup mumbled, biting his lip. “But we don’t learn those until seventh year…”

Invisibility…

Oh. Duh. The bracelet Xavier gave me for Christmas could turn me invisible. I smacked myself on my forehead, a bit harder than I should have. I was so stupid.

“I could have been invisible this whole time and I didn’t use it?!” I said, exasperated.

“What in the world are you talking about?” Hiccup asked, eyes wide.

“Xavier gave me this thing for Christmas…” I said, pulling up my sleeve to show off the simple white rubber bands strung together. “And when I snap it, I turn invisible. I could have been using it this whole time and avoided this whole thing altogether!”

“Well, use it!” Hiccup said, grasping my shoulders and shaking me slightly.

“Okay! Okay!” I said, stepping back. I grabbed the bracelet with two fingers, and pulled back slightly, the rubber bands taught. I let go, and the resounding snap! that came after was as loud as it possibly could have. It sounded like a gunshot. I looked at Hiccup, but he was no longer looking at me, he was looking somewhere about two feet away.

“That is absolutely amazing…” Hiccup said, stepping forward about two steps before stopping. “Wait…” He said, holding his hands out, palm-down, in front of him. “How am I supposed to know where you are?” He asked.

I laughed. Then I took his hand into mine.

“I’m right here,” I said simply, “you just can’t see me,”

“Okay, yeah sure. I’ll just walk down the halls holding air in my hand,” He said, rolling his eyes and holding up our hands.

“You just have to be difficult, don’t you?” I scoffed, letting go of his hand slowly. I shifted around, so he was in front of me, and I put both my hands on his scrawny shoulders. “There, is that better?” I asked.

“Y-yeah, sure,” Hiccup said shakily, his voice a little higher than normal. “Let’s just uh… let’s just get out of here.” He said, walking forward and throwing the door open. He walked out of the room and shut the door. I blew on the back of his neck. “Quit it…” He muttered, squirming a bit.

“This was you’re idea,” I said matter of factually. I could practically see Hiccup roll his green eyes at me. My hands slipped down just a bit, and now they were resting on his back, almost as if I was pushing him forward.

“And I’m starting to realize that it was a bad one…” He mumbled, trying not to look like a crazy person, talking to someone who seemingly wasn’t there. Maybe I had to give those people some props; maybe they had their own invisible people next to them, and it was only them that knew it?

“Aw, come on, Freckles, don’t be such a downer…” I said. Okay, maybe it was more like a whine… shut up, okay?

“I really don’t know why I even thought of this in the first place…”He muttered. I wrapped my arms around his chest, making him stiffen and stumble a bit.

“Because you’re my friend, and you don’t want me to die in the clutches of the evil Sammy,” I replied simply.

“She is not evil,” Hiccup refuted. “You’re just… probably sending her the wrong signals or something,”

“That or she’s incredible desperate, and or horny,” I said. Hiccup snorted.

“I cannot believe you just said that,” He said, laughing so hard he almost tripped.

“What can I say?” I said, shrugging a bit, which was really stupid because he couldn’t see the gesture.

“Something other than ‘horny,’ I’m sure,” Hiccup said.

It wasn’t two seconds later that his hand was on top of him, right in the middle of his ribs. My cheeks flushed, but it didn’t matter; he couldn’t see me. I smiled, and placed my chin on top of his left shoulder. The moment ended when someone else entered the hall.

(If you guess right, you get ten points and a Scooby snack. Guess wrong, and I really question your guessing skills…)

Sammy ran down the hall toward Hiccup, her arms slightly outstretched, and her short raven-colored hair bouncing around her head. She stopped in front of Hiccup.

“Oh, thank goodness I found you!” She said. “Have you seen Jack anywhere? He might just be playing a really good game of hide-and-seek or something but…”

“No, I haven’t seen him-!”Hiccup said, just as my arms slipped over his waist and pulled him closer to me, making him stumble back. He tossed an irritated look over his shoulder before turning back to Sammy. “But, Sammy… I don’t think he likes you… _that way_ , you know?” He said, running a hand through his hair nervously and making wild hand gestures afterward. Sammy’s eyes filled with hurt before she blinked rapidly, as if she was coming out of a daze.

“Of course he likes me,” She said confidently, tucking her hair behind her ear for a split second. “But I understand where you’re coming from. Next time, keep your opinions to yourself please. Thanks! Bye Hiccup!” It was amazing, how she said that with no venom in her voice whatsoever. But she ran passed Hiccup, looking everywhere for… well, me.

“Thanks Hiccup,” I mumbled. “You’re a lifesaver,”

“You’re going to have to tell her yourself though,” Hiccup sighed, walking again. “You saw how she brushed me off. She’s only going to listen if it comes from you,”

“I know, but…” I said, at a loss for words. I let go of him, and snapped my bracelet, becoming visible again with a faint _pop_! “I don’t want to kill her soul, you know?” Hiccup just rolled his eyes, stepped towards me, and patted me on the cheek twice. It was more like a very soft slap.

“Sometimes, you just got to put yourself out there,” Hiccup said, a small smile on his lips. He finally stepped away, his eyes glinting with something that I couldn’t explain. Maybe it was just sunlight. “I’m going to go see Toothless. See you at dinner?” He said.

“Definitely,” I said, a smile spreading across my face.

* * *

** Xavier’s P.O.V   **

“Lauren!” I called, weaving through the mass of people in the halls, trying to get to her. She couldn’t hear me over all the chatter. I sighed exasperatedly, and pushed my way through the people in front of me. “Cows…” I muttered. They gasped a little, and I sniggered. That’s what they get for walking so damn slow when I have somewhere to go!

I jogged over to Lauren and put my hand on her shoulder. She jumped, instantly brushing my hand off and turning around.

“What the-?” She exclaimed. “Oh, hi Xavier.”

“Finally!” I said. “I’ve only been calling you for about ten minutes!”

“Oh, quit exaggerating,” Lauren said, brushing her hair out of her eyes and tucking it nervously behind her ear. “So… what’s up?” She asked, hugging the book she had in her hand close to her body. I smiled. She was always reading something.

“How are you?” I asked. She rolled her eyes, a smile on her lips.

“I’m okay, you?” She answered and asked at the same time.

“Okay,” I said.

“Tell me you had something else to ask other than that,” Lauren said, laughing at me.

“Oh, yeah, of course,” I said. “I was wondering what Plan B was going to be,”

“Well…” She said dragging it out. “You need to help me, like, a lot.”

“Why? What’s up?” I asked, curious.

“I was thinking…” Lauren said. “A Valentine’s Day thing?” She asked, basically awaiting my response as she cringed slightly. My face fell. The girl who came up with a Christmas Ball, for crying out loud, couldn’t think of anything better than a Valentine’s Day plan?!

“That’s way too cheesy,” I said, touching my forehead lightly. “Why did you need why they liked each other then?” I asked, the thought coming to mind. She smiled at me.

“Valentine’s Day cards, of course,” Lauren said, a new bounce in her step. “We make cards that are supposedly from each other, but don’t sign it… but make it obvious, you know?”

“Then why do you need me?” I asked.

“I need that touch of masculinity in the cards,” She said with a wry smile. My eyes widened.

“No… nonononono absolutely not! No! I am not helping you make confetti mushy-gushy Valentine’s Day cards!” I exclaimed.

“Please!” Lauren pleaded, grabbing my arm and shaking it slightly. “Oh, come on, it needs to be realistic and you’re my only hope when it comes to this!” I was staying strong, so far so good… “Oh, please Xavier? I’ll love you forever! I’ll give you a kiss! Anything! Please just help me here!” I raised my eyebrow.

“Anything?” I asked, my tone of voice suggesting something… Lauren instantly let go of my arm and smack it.

“Ack, not anything, you asshole,” She scoffed. “Just… please?” Lauren looked so defeated, as if I ran over her dog and said ‘well, it shouldn’t have been in my way!’ So, naturally…

“Fine,” I said, sighing slightly. “But I want that kiss you promised,” She laughed at me.

Then I didn’t expect her to do what she did.

She grabbed my face softly, and kissed me, right smack dab in the middle of the hallway.

* * *

** Jack’s P.O.V **

I was in my room, flying around slowly with my staff, making lazy circles around the room as I thought. I twisted and I turned, checking out new positions and moves that I haven’t tried. My landings were sort of shit, so I practiced that for a little while. I glanced at the clock. A smile spread to my lips, uncontrollable and unadulterated. Dinner. And Hiccup. Seriously, I couldn’t decide which one sounded better right now.

I hurriedly propped my staff up against my bed and rushed out my room, glad that I changed into some comfortable clothes (i.e. jeans, sweatshirt, and no shoes) earlier on. Skipping the last three stairs, I landed on the ground with a light _thud_! and rushed off to the common room exit. I have to admit, there was a little spring in my step, and I think I was humming to a song I barely remembered…

Until Sammy called me.

“Jack?” She asked behind me, soft thumps as she came down the stairs. I froze. “Jack! Hey!” Sammy said, the note of happiness in her voice unmistakable. She flounced over to me, and instantly gave me a hug, wrapping her arms around my neck. I knew what she wanted me to do: she wanted me to wrap my arms around her waist.

Nope. Nuh, uh, never gonna happen. That action was specifically reserved for Hiccup. Instead, I reached up slowly, and pried her arms off my neck. Her smile faltered a tad, but it was right back up again.

“Want to go grab dinner?” She asked, looking up at me.

“Well, I was going to meet up with someone…” I said, rubbing at the back of my neck uncomfortably. How did you put someone down gently? That was the most important thing for me to know right now, and I cursed myself for not knowing.

“We can still walk over there together, then… right?” She said, hope gleaming in her eyes.

I hate hope. I hate not being able to turn people down. I hate the kindness that I try to shun from my personality.

“Umm… yeah, sure I guess.” I said. She squealed, like a dolphin just trying to say hi.

“Okay, let’s go!” She said, grabbing me by my arm and pulling me out of the common room.

Like, gee thanks. I can walk by myself, you know? Freaking crap, man. I need this girl off of me. All I could think about was how much I hated this. It felt so wrong. But I plastered a smile on my face as I pretended to listen to whatever Sammy was chatting about. But on the inside, my insides were boiling. There was this unnatural heat that radiated from my stomach and spread to everything. I’m pretty sure my jaw was set, and that if anyone else glanced at me, that I would probably have a demented smile on my face rather than a happy one.

And then we were at the Great Hall. Thank the Lord. I plucked her arm off mine.

“Well, that was a nice walk,” I said, cutting her off from whatever she was saying. “So, I’ll see you later, and well, bye.” I said, refusing to look at her face. It probably looked like I just told her that she had an ugly mug and bad teeth. I cringed a bit, but turned around and walked away anyway.

Hiccup was nowhere to be found, but I didn’t worry about it; he was probably with Toothless still, losing track of time. I fingered the white bracelet on my wrist a bit nervously, but got over it quickly. He’ll be here.

Lauren and Xavier were talking quietly as I walked up to them. They faced each other as they talked, Lauren moving her hands wildly as if she was telling him the details of this _amazing_ plan that she had. I sat down opposite me, and they stopped chatting immediately, sitting forward and plastering smiles on their faces.

“What’s…. going on?” I asked, smiling at them wryly. They shared a look with one another, as if to say ‘that was a close one.’ I brushed it off.

“Nothing,” Lauren said as she started picking at the food that appeared in front of us.

“Alright then,” I said, grabbing a chicken leg and eating it, not even bothering to use my plate. “Hey, have you guys seen Hiccup anywhere?” He should be here by now.

Why did I need to see him all of a sudden? It was like I could barely breathe, as if a gigantic sumo wrestler was sitting on my chest. Realization hit me in the face. It wasn’t the fact that I missed him (which I did, and it didn’t make sense because I was with him all day today), it was the fact that I needed him. I felt wrong, walking with Sammy over here. I needed him to make me feel like everything was right again. The mouthful of chicken in my mouth instantly turned to tasting like sawdust, and I forced myself to swallow.

“Well, of course you would care,” Xavier said, his smile and eyes all knowing. I glared at him a bit.

“Oh, shut up, Xavier,” Lauren said, pushing his shoulder lightly as she took a bite of the lemon meringue pie that she served herself. “I got you’re back, Jack,” She said.

“Oh, wow, that rhymed. You’re cool,” I said sarcastically, forcing myself to eat again. Freaking shit, why was this so difficult?

“Ha, ha, whoops. Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Lauren said, laughing a little as she said it. I smiled weakly as I reached over and took a sip from the simple golden cup that was in front of me. The water inside of it tasted metallic. Or was that me? Did I bite my tongue or something?

“Jack…” Xavier said. I looked at him. “Are you… okay?” He asked, eyes filled with concern. I sighed, setting the cup down harder than I really needed to, the water splashing inside it and almost spilling out. I put one hand on my head, my fingers venturing into my hair as I tugged at it.

“No, things are not fucking okay,” I muttered, hating how the people closest to me could read me like a book. Lauren leaned over the table, resting her hand on my shoulder lightly.

“You know you can tell us, right?” She said softly. “I mean, if you don’t want to, that’s fine, but things get better when you talk about it.”

“Yeah, thanks,” I said, dismissing it. “Sammy’s getting on my nerves. It’s like she can’t take a hint.”

“Some people think that hints are mere coincidences,” Xavier said, smiling at Lauren as if they knew something I didn’t.

“You might just have to tell her that you don’t like her like that straight-out,” Lauren said, sitting back. “She’s going to get it then,”

“Yeah,” I said, looking over my shoulder at Sammy, who was talking to her friends across the Hall. “I’ll tell her after dinner,” I said resigned.

* * *

**... **

* * *

 

“Go get ‘em, tiger,” Xavier said, hitting my back with a hard _thump_! I brushed him off and rolled my eyes. No one was in the Great Hall, and Hiccup still wasn’t here. I forced myself to not miss him all that much, but it was like trying to suppress a dam from breaking.

“Yeah, yeah, shut up…” I muttered. Then I walked up to Sammy, her raven hair in her face slightly as she traced patterns onto the table top. “Uh, hey, Sammy, can I talk to you for a second?” I asked. She looked at me, a smile lighting up her whole face. This had to be difficult, didn’t it?

“Yeah!” She said. “Sure, of course!” Sammy stood up and stood in front of me. “What’s up?” She asked. I sighed.

Now or never.

“Look, I know that you like me and everything but, to be honest, I…. I don’t really…” I was cut off.

Cut off by two lips pressed greedily onto mine, hands clutching my face, a body trying to get as close to me as possible.

And I almost threw up right in Sammy’s mouth.

I heard a faint, shaky gasp, and I broke away from Sammy’s kiss with a sound similar to a suction cup breaking away from a window, looking around. My eyes found their way to the Great Hall entrance, and I couldn’t help myself from smiling. Hiccup was standing there.

But something was wrong. His face was horrified, and even from here I could see tears forming in the corner of his eyes. There was something about his stance, how he held himself, that suggested that he was… broken almost.

I was about to say hi, when he let out a strangled sob, turned on his heel, covered his face with his hands slightly, and sprinted down the hall. Something told me to follow him, but I had some unfinished business to attend to.

I turned back to Sammy.

“I don’t like you, got it?” I said. “You’re a good girl and all that, but I just don’t like you the way you like me.” There were tears in her eyes as her hand connected with my face.

“I hate you,” She said weakly. I knew her heart was broken. She turned around and stomped away, trying to preserve her dignity. I sighed, and clutched at my cheek. Could’ve been worse. I walked back to Lauren and Xavier.

“What are you doing?” Xavier demanded, a heated expression on his face.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, defending myself.

“Go after him!” Lauren demanded, pushing my shoulder roughly toward the gigantic doors. “Go!” She said. I looked at her as if she was crazy.

“What are you talking about?” I said, a bit louder and took the time to pronunciate every word. Lauren looked as though she was going to slap me too. Xavier looked livid.

“Hiccup!” Lauren said. “Go after Hiccup! He was fucking crying okay?”

“Why would he be crying?” I asked, voicing aloud my question. Lauren clicked her tongue at me, rolling her eyes and biting her lip. She looked at Xavier, almost asking for his permission or something, before she actually looked back at me and opened her mouth.

“HE LIKES YOU, GODDAMMIT!” She yelled as quietly as she could, but it didn’t matter anymore; there was no one else in the Great Hall. “HE LIKES YOU A WHOLE FUCKING LOT, AND HE JUST SAW YOU KISSING SAMMY! GO FUCKING DO SOMETHING!”

“Why…. What… how… WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME EARLIER?” I burst out saying. Things would have been better that way, but no. If only they told me…!!!

“It doesn’t matter at the moment, okay?” Xavier said, placing a hand on my chest and pushing me back. It was then that I noticed that I rounded on Lauren, getting in her face. “It doesn’t fucking matter,”

My heart banged in my chest for a couple seconds, and that was the only thing I felt, heard, or thought about. But then a new thought burst into my head.

Hiccup.

I was out of the Great Hall in less than a second. I needed to find him. I needed to tell him that I didn’t like Sammy.

Hell, fuck it all. I needed to tell him I was in love with him.

* * *

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

I didn’t expect to see what I did. And my heart shattered.

Call it what you will: cheesiness, overreaction, drama, unnecessary, but I know one thing, and one thing only, and it was that I could only feel two emotions. One of them was anger; why would he try to get away from her so hard if all he was going to do was end up kissing her? Why did he make me help him? Why was I stupid enough to try? The second one was pain; the boy that I had a crush on was kissing a girl for everyone to see. Pain and hurt washed over me, overfilling my soul like a tsunami, almost drowning me as I struggle against its powerful waves.

The most powerful of these two was the pain, and I wish it wasn’t. I wish that I had enough anger inside of me to walk over to him, and punch him in the jaw for everything he did to me.

_Everything he did to me?_ The nicer part of my brain asked. Yes, everything he did to me. He made me fall in love with him, using his charm and good looks. He became friends with me by pretending that he cared. He got underneath my skin, drug the story of my mother’s death from the deep recesses of my mind, got me to trust him…

He made me actually believe that I even had a chance.

And that hurt more than anything. Hope is a good thing to have. Too much of it will only come and stab you in the back.

Tears flowed through my eyes as I thought of one thing. I needed to get away. And what better escape was the skies? I was sprinting as fast as I could to my common room, crashing into people blindly and not apologizing, stumbling over my feet as I tried to see from the watery windows I called eyes at the moment.

At the Ravenclaw Tower stairs, I was breathing harshly and my tears were falling without the possibility of stopping. I didn’t stop running as I bounded up the stairs, using the momentum to shoot my way up two or three steps at a time. And then there was still the door to get through…

“ _What came first: the ability to love, or the ability to forgive_?” The bronze eagle knocker squawked at me. My blood boiled.

“Neither,” I replied softly, my voice hoarse from crying, “because we cannot forgive without love, and we cannot love if we haven’t forgive.”

“ _Thoughtful_ ,” the eagle said, the door swinging open. I hurled myself inside, pushing past some homework-doers as I ran to the boy’s dormitories stairs. I took them two at a time, and I heard people muttering about what exactly “my problem” was. I ignored it, and ran into my room.

I wrenched my door open, and saw Toothless on my bed. He looked up at me, eyes and ears alert. He saw my distressed image, and he was by my feet in an instant, eye contact never broken. I couldn’t breathe right.

Pulling out my wand, I muttered a spell, the spell that would change Toothless. He grew right in front of my eyes, becoming a huge dragon in seconds flat. He cooed at me. I stepped completely inside the room, shut the door, and then completely collapsed onto Toothless, hugging his broad neck as if my life depended on it. Toothless moved his head, nudging mine slightly, and the movement was filled with concern…and a question: “ _What can I do to help_?”

I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing any unshed tears out of my tear ducts. And then I got to work. Hauling out Toothless’ flight gear from my trunk, I slipped it on the large dragon in record time. Toothless shimmied through the small window the room possessed (well, small for him) and clung to the side of the window while I threw on my fur vest, covering up my olive-green tee shirt. I huffed, stuffing my wand securely in my boot, and then I walked to the window.

Toothless let go of the building the same moment I clambered out of the window. We both fell through the sky freely until I was close enough to latch myself to him and flick my ankle, guiding us away from the ground below us. The wind didn’t feel good this time. The satisfaction of the feeling was still there, but it reminded me of Jack, and the wind fueled my anger as it would a flame.

Green, acidic eyes regarded me, a deep sound coming from Toothless’ throat. I met his eyes, and petted the top of his head reassuringly.

“I’m alright bud,” I murmured. Toothless rolled his eyes and made a weird roaring sound, as if he was contradicting what I just said. I chuckled a bit, even my dragon knew what was wrong with me. “Let’s go, Toothless,” I said, sinking low into a flight stance, and I was right to. Once I said that, Toothless picked up speed, shooting through the sky like a bullet. The wind brought sudden tears to my eyes, but what was new? I was already crying.

Toothless pounced lightly to the earth, landing in the Cove. We haven’t been in this place since Jack and I almost kissed the first time. A new pang suddenly tangible in my chest, I hopped off Toothless with ease. He walked toward me, nudging me with his head with such force that I almost fell over. Then his eyes met mine again, two different shades of green colliding. And suddenly, there were tears in my eyes again.

I tried to catch my breath, but all I did was catch myself in the middle of an anxiety attack, hyperventilating harshly as I stumbled and fell on my ass. I pulled my knees up to my chest and my hands tugged at my hair so hard, I was surprised my hand didn’t come back with clumps of hair in them.

“Fuck… fuck him…” I said, or rather, managed to say. “H-he goes around, playing these games and making me think that I could…” My forehead smacked against my kneecaps, the pain not registering. Probably because the internal pain was much, much worse. My voice died, and all I could do was sob.

I felt Toothless nudge my side, and I looked up, his face right in mine. His eyes were wide and kind, filled with understanding and compassion. I sucked in a few shaky lungful’s of air.

“I shouldn’t have been so stupid, bud,” I said quietly, resting my left cheek on my right knee. “I wish I could go back in time and make sure I never met him.”

Toothless gave me a look that clearly said: “ _you don’t really mean that_.” And he was right. Of course I didn’t mean it, but it felt like a good solution to all my problems. If he never tumbled into my compartment on the Hogwarts Express, this whole thing would have never happened!

But did I want all this to not happen?

I pushed the thought away as I was pulled under the waves of self-pity and anger once more.

Soon, I had no tears to cry, and the sky was streaked orange, pink, and red, the moon already peeking out from the other side of the sky. I must have been out here for an hour now. Toothless slipped towards me, putting his large head on my shoulder, and the gesture brought a surprising sense of comfort. I clutched at Toothless’ neck, the hard scales that covered his body were warm under my fingers. The large dragon cooed at me. I relaxed, my breathing resembling some kind of normalcy again.

And then that coo that was coming from Toothless turned into a deathly growl. I looked up. And anger washed through me.

Because, right in front of me was Jack Frost, tumbling to the floor and getting to his feet swiftly. My hands clenched into fists as I detached myself from Toothless. The amount of venom in my voice startled even me, but it matched the anger that was bubbling in my chest.

“Get the fuck away from me.”

* * *

** Jack’s P.O.V **

Adrenaline fueled my limbs as I ran through the halls. People looked at me as if I was crazy, but I didn’t care. I needed to find Hiccup.

“Have you seen Hiccup?” I asked anyone frantically. “Did you see where he went?” The answers were the same.

“Why do you care, anyway?”

“I didn’t see the dork,”

“Dude, are you okay?”

I was furious. I almost gave up on asking all together, but I still did. My heart was basically beating out of my chest. I checked everywhere, screaming at the top of my lungs for him. I needed to find him! I didn’t mean for all of this shit to happen!

A girl with dark brown hair walked down the corridor past me. What stood out, though, was the Ravenclaw scarf around her neck. I back-tracked, and stood in front of her.

“Yes…?” She asked expectantly, eyebrows raised.

“Have… have you seen Hiccup?” I asked. She stared blankly at me. “Hiccup. He’s about this tall, with green eyes and reddish hair and a dorky smile… have you seen him? He’s in your House.”

“Oh, him. Fishbone, right?” She said. My blood boiled but I ignored the comment for now. “Yeah, he crashed through our common room about an hour ago, crying like a baby. Why do you need to know?” She asked.

“None of your business.” I said bluntly. “Could you get me in there?” I asked. Her eyes went wide.

“That’s against the rules. You could be expelled for that,” She stated.

“I don’t care!” I yelled, making her flinch. “I’m… I’m sorry. This is really important. Please… please help me get in there…”

“As long as I’m not the one getting in trouble…” She said with a sigh.

“Thank you so much!”

“Yeah, yeah, hurry up…”

We raced up the Ravenclaw stairs, and the girl skidded to a halt at the top of the staircase. The bronze eagle knocker shone impressively.

“ _What came first: the ability to love, or the ability to forgive_?” It said, opening its beak.

“You cannot have one without the other, so neither,” The girl answered quickly. The eagle nodded, and the door swung open. She grabbed my arm and pulled me inside. “You have got three minutes.” She said.

“That’s all I need,” I said. I pulled away from her grip and ran up the boy’s stairs. I raced down the hallway and stopped at his door. It was shut. I knocked cautiously. There was no answer. I opened the door, surprised it wasn’t locked. I walked in slowly.

The room was bare. Hiccup’s trunk was wide open. I looked in, and Toothless’ flight gear was missing. My heart sunk down to my toes. A chill swept through me, and I looked to the window. It was open, the blue curtains billowing slightly because of the wind that was coming through.

“No…” I gasped. He was out. He was flying. He could be anywhere by now. In the woods, perched on the Astronomy Tower, anywhere. I tore out of his room and flew down the stairs. The girl as still standing by the door. She looked at me expectantly.

“Thank you so much!” I managed to breath out. And I was off. And there was one place in my mind that I desperately needed to get to.

I needed to get to my room. I needed my staff. I needed to fly out there and look for him.

A couple minutes later, I crashed into my common room, breathing heavily. A figure stood on the couch.

“Jack?” It said. It was Xavier. I brushed him off and darted to our room. “Where are you going?” He asked, following me up the stairs. In our room I went to my bed, and picked up my staff, which was propped up next to my bedframe. I threw the window open.

“What are you doing?” Xavier asked, a tone of panic in his voice. I looked at him.

“Finding Hiccup,” I replied. Then I leaped out the window, gliding on the wind.

“Jack!” He said, probably rushing to the window. “Oh my god!!!” He exclaimed.

I didn’t care. I didn’t look back. I flew across the sky with the help of my staff, scanning everywhere for a black dragon or a small frame.

There was nothing. I was the only thing in the sky. And the sun was setting, fast too. I needed to find him. I had to.

“HICCUP!” I yelled in the air, but I knew he wouldn’t respond even if he did here me.

Where could he have gone?

It hit me like a ton of bricks, making me stop in mid-air and fall for about ten feet.

The Cove. It was the only place. It had to be.

I was there in an instant.

I was so glad I was right. Toothless was sitting on the ground, a small figure clutching at his chest. And then he growled at me as I landed, doing a sloppy sommersault and getting to my feet quickly.

Hiccup stood up, his hands clenched into fists, his usually-kind green eyes hard. And then he spoke.

“Get the fuck away from me,” He said, the amount of venom in his voice made me flinch, stepping back a bit as I held my hands up.

“Please, Hiccup, just let me explain…” I pleaded.

“I don’t want to listen to _anything_ you have to say!” Hiccup yelled at me, his body shaking with rage.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Hiccup…” I stuttered.

“Don’t tell me that you’re sorry. I don’t want to hear it,” Hiccup spat. His eyes were fixed in a solid glare, right at me. And I was scared of him. He looked like he could tear me to shreds in that very moment. I’m pretty sure he wants to, too.

“No… No, you have to hear it. Because what happened back there, what you saw… it was nothing, Hiccup. Nothing,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm.

“How can you tell me it was nothing?” Hiccup asked, taking a step forward. I instantly backed away, but he kept advancing on me. “I’ve had it with you, and your shit, and everything else that comes with it. I’m through. I’m through with you, and your lies, and your stupid little games that you play.” He poked my chest hard as he spoke.

“This isn’t a game!” I exclaimed. “This was never a game,” I looked into his eyes as I said it, and I couldn’t see him, I couldn’t see Freckles. All I saw was hatred, and rage. And hurt. “Hiccup, I never meant to hurt you like that…”

“Then why’d you do it?” He demanded. “Why’d you kiss her?”

“I didn’t kiss her! She attacked me!” I responded. Hiccup glared at me for a second, and then he turned away from me.

“Get the fuck away from me,” He stated walking away. My eyes drifted to Toothless, who was still growling at me slightly. I raised my hands at the dragon, asking a question with the gesture.

“ **He is hurt beyond belief** ,” Toothless responded, “ **and you are the one that has hurt him. I warned you that if you hurt him, that you would be my next meal. But now, I think I’ll just cause you bodily harm until you _wish_ I had eaten** **you**.”

“I can’t get away from you,” I said, looking back at Hiccup. He turned around slowly, his hands clutching at his sides.

“Why not?” He asked heatedly.

“Because I know the truth,” I said, walking toward him. It was his turn to shy away from me.

“There’s no truth to know,” Hiccup said. “You need to leave. Now. I’m through with you.”

“No,” I said. I pulled him into a hug, and he put up a fight trying to get away from me. I hugged him tighter, forcing him to accept it. But he didn’t stop thrashing around.

“Get off of me!” Hiccup said, working his hands up and shoving at my chest, breaking the hug. “I hate you! Just get away from me!”

“No…” I said. “No you don’t hate me. You never have. Lauren told me.”

“No… she didn’t.” Hiccup gasped. “She promised that she…” He stopped himself from saying anything further. Then he pulled on his mask again, hiding his true emotion. “I don’t care what she told you. I’m still pissed. Why don’t you go back to Sammy and forget that I’m even here?”

“She hates me now,” I said gently. “I told her that I didn’t like her that way, and she slapped me and walked away.”

“Well, she beat me to it…” Hiccup muttered, more to himself than anything.

“But Sammy doesn’t matter to me, Hiccup,” I said.

“And why not?” He asked.

“Because…” I started to say, but the words got stuck half-way out of my throat. Hiccup looked at me expectantly. I took a deep breath. “Because I like _you_ , Hiccup.” His mouth popped open in a little ‘o’ his eyes wide. Toothless cooed in the background.

“ **So maybe I won’t hurt you after all** ,” Toothless said. I kept the small laugh that bubbled in my chest to myself.

“You… y-you do?” Hiccup asked, a faint blush flooding his freckled cheeks, making him look even more adorable in the sunset’s light.

“I’ve liked you… for a while actually,” I said, looking at the floor. “I never really said anything because I didn’t know you all that well, and I didn’t want to freak you out…”

Fingers tilted my chin up, making me look into bright green eyes, no longer filled with anger or pain, instead filled with happiness. A smile came onto my lips, and before I knew it…

Hiccup stood slightly on his tip-toes and our lips met, no hesitation, no interruption. The fingers that were under my chin slid slowly to my cheek, pulling me closer to him. My hands found his waist, and I pulled him even closer. He was hot, and it was addicting. Our lips molded together, moving in sync. I could stay like this forever. This was bliss. This was what a kiss should be. This is what I wanted from my Freckles since day one. This was everything I could have hoped for.

And then my lungs burned, starved for oxygen like a dying flame. I moved away, just about a millimeter away, still feeling Hiccup’s hot breath on my lips. I gasped for air like a fish out of water, a smile bursting across my face out of nowhere, a light laugh escaping my mouth. Hiccup was laughing too.

“That was unexpected,” I said, unable to help it. Hiccup’s eyes had an undefinable twinkle to them, his smile one of the goofiest and purest ones that I’ve ever seen on his face.

“Well, I had to do something to stop you from saying a heart-felt confession that would have made me cry,” Hiccup said, wrapping his arms around my neck and hugging me. I encircled his waist without hesitation, pulling him ever closer. I heard Hiccup sigh happily. “Jack?” He said suddenly.

“Hm?” I asked back.

“What does this make us?” Freckles asked quietly.

“I can’t answer that without sounding really cheesy…” I said cautiously, a smile crawling across my face again ( _psssssssh_ , like it ever left in the first place). Hiccup leaned back, not entirely breaking the hug, but definitely killing the closeness of it. His arms were still around my neck as he regarded me.

“I need to know,” He said, chuckling slightly. “I need to know that this isn’t some type of warped and twisted dream…”

I couldn’t take it anymore. Five years of this, and I finally had him. I leaned in and swiftly captured his lips with mine again. Hiccup complied eagerly, no protests there. Good, I didn’t think there would be.

We stayed like that for a while, lips dancing gracefully until, once again, the need for air won out again. Hiccup pulled away, and rested his forehead against mine. Our eyes locked for a moment.

“Together,” I said suddenly. His green eyes filled with confusion as he mouthed the word that just came out of my mouth. “This makes us together.” A wider smile spread across his face slowly.

“Are you saying…?”

“Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, will you be my boyfriend?” I asked breathlessly, cheeks flushed and eyes hopeful. Hiccup bit his bottom lip, his head nodding uncontrollably. He placed a kiss on my cheek, rather, on the corner of my mouth, and hugged me tightly, almost suffocating the hell out of me.

“Yes! Yesyesyesyesyes!” He was saying over and over and over again. I just laughed, and spun him in a circle. He let go of me, probably realizing how hard he was hugging me. I let go of him, and locked eyes on the black dragon behind _my boyfriend_. (IT FELT SO DAMN GOOD TO THINK IT!!!!!) I walked over to him steadily, feeling Hiccup’s eyes watching me carefully. I sank down on one knee, my fingertips brushing the ground.

“I am officially asking your permission to date your rider,” I said, looking into the acid-green eyes. “Please, Toothless?” I pleaded. It seemed like the proper thing to do. The look in those eyes were dead serious.

“ **ABOUT TIME**!” A voice sounded in my head. Toothless roared, and jumped on top of me. And then he licked my face as slowly as he could, drawing the action out for as long as he possibly could.

“Ah… haaaaa…” I said. “I’ll… take this as a yes then?” I said, wiping dragon saliva out of my eyes.

“ **Of course it is, simpleton** ,” Toothless chatted away, his hard exterior melting right in front of me. “ **I’ve been waiting for this to happen the day I met you. And obviously this day has come. My offer still stands though: hurt him you die, but I know now that you would do no such thing**.” I just laughed at the now very talkative dragon. My hands prodded at his face.

“Is there an off-button on you?” I asked, laughing.

“Jack, what are you doing?” Hiccup asked, smiling widely.

“I just asked your keeper if it was alright to date you,” I replied, matching his smile. “I got a yes, and now he’s talking _so much_ …”

“And now you know how I feel!” Hiccup said, plopping down on the floor next to me, sitting Indian-style.

“Oh, don’t get started on the insults now!” I countered.

“And what if I am?” Hiccup challenged.

“…you know I can kiss-attack you now, right?” I said, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible. Hiccup just raised his eyebrows at me.

“Kiss-attack?” He asked, laughing.

“Yeah, like sneak-attack, but this is like, a bajillion times better,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Somehow, I wouldn’t mind it,” Hiccup said, leaning back on his hands and letting out a content sigh. “We’ve got to be getting back,” he said drearily. “We have class tomorrow,”

“So, what’s the uh… plan, I guess?” I asked, standing up and grabbing his hand to help him up as well.

“Plan? What plan?” He asked.

“You know… plan.” I said. “Is this…” I said gesturing at our linked hands, “going to be a secret or…?” Hiccup blushed, and couldn’t look me in the eye.

“I… I don’t feel… ready, I guess? For everyone to know about this yet…” Hiccup said uneasily. “I hope you aren’t offended or something…” He glanced up at me, and I just smiled at him.

“I’m a little scared too,” I mumbled to him. I pressed a chaste kiss to his lips, short and sweet, just to let him know that I cared. “But we’re going to have a little fun instead, right?” I asked. Hiccup laughed, and pushed me away, hopping on Toothless’ back.

“That sounded seriously wrong,” He said, laughing his head off. I found my staff and took off when Toothless did.

“Not my fault you’re dirty minded,” I muttered. He just shot me a look.

“Not my fault you said it,” Hiccup quipped back. I smiled at him again.

He was my boyfriend. He knows that I like him. And that was the only thing that mattered in this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOORAY!! THEY STOPPED RUNNING IN CIRCLES!!  
> I hope you liked this chapter! Thank you so much for reading!


	21. Friends Always Figure Things Out

Chapter Twenty-One: Friends Always Figure Things Out

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

“What do you mean, ‘ _nothing’s wrong_ ’?” Lauren yelled at me. My hands clamped over her mouth, shutting her up effectively. They were there for about five seconds, and then I moved them away slowly.

“Will you please calm down?” I asked. “I don’t need you yelling every five seconds!” Lauren just sighed as she shifted her weight to her left foot, her hands coming up and folding in front of her chest. She rolled her eyes.

“For the record, I do not yell every five seconds…” Lauren said, pushing her hair out of her eyes with a flick of her wrist.

“Well… it varies,” I said, smirking a bit. She pushed my shoulder.

“Shut up…” She said defensively. “I see what you did there.” She said, glaring at me and pursing her lips into a flat line. I looked at her quizzically. I blinked.

“Huh?”

“You got me off topic,” Lauren said, pointing it out. Damn, I thought she wouldn’t figure it out. I need to give this girl more credit. “But what do you mean? Yesterday you were _bawling_ … and now you’re skipping around as if someone told you Pitch died.”

“Okay, one: that’s just cruel. And I would never _ever_ skip.” I said. “And two: I was not bawling. I had a spider in my eye.” Oh, what a believable lie that one was. Apparently, Lauren thought the same thing, because she smiled at me. It wasn’t a good smile. It was one of those smiles that said: “ _I know you’re trying to hide something from me, and I’m not letting you get away with it until you tell me_.”

But I was going to get away with it this time, because there was no way in hell that I was telling Lauren that Jack and I were together. It was just not possible. Because then, she would dance around, throw flowers up in the air, singing, “ _I was right this whole time! I win, you lose_!” It just wasn’t going to happen. And besides, what if I jinx the whole thing? Not like I’m saying that our relationship is flimsy, because seriously, nothing has changed, it’s just… well, it’s the same and different at the same time.

“A spider, huh?” Lauren said, the look in her eye softening a tad. “Must have been one huge spider…”

“Oh, nah, it wasn’t that big,” I said, “it just bit me. Madame Pomfrey had a field day on that one.” Lying was progressively easier, now all I had to do was remember it so that my story would be consistent.

“Really?” Lauren said, standing on her tip-toes slightly to look in my eye. “Which one got bit? What did she do?” I batted her away from my eyes, laughing as I did so.

“You can’t tell which one got bit _now_ ,” I said, rolling my eyes. “She just gave me an infusion of the Oculus Potion and the Arachnidia Potion, to get the spider venom out and to get my vision back in order. She told me I was free to go and I… was really tired so I went to bed.”

“Sounds impressive,” Lauren said, the tone in her voice telling me she didn’t buy any of it.

“I’m starving,” I said put of the blue, grabbing her arm and pulling her in the direction of the Great Hall. Most people would be having breakfast already. Lauren just giggled and let herself be pulled down the corridors.

“Well, yeah, you didn’t have dinner last night because of your little spider incident,” She said.

“It’s not my fault that spider got in my way,” I mumbled. Seriously, what made me think of a stupid spider? I could have come up with a better excuse than that!

“Oh, of course not…” Lauren said, and without even turning around to look at her, I knew she rolled her eyes at me. I tugged on her wrist sharply, making her stumble forward a bit. She scoffed. “Jerk…” It was my turn to roll my eyes.

We made it to the Great Hall, and as I thought, people milled around everywhere. I groaned.

“People…” Lauren groaned behind me. “I hate crowds…” She said, yanking her wrist out of my grip and made her way through the crowd. She plopped down at a table, right next to Xavier. And in front of Xavier… there was Jack. My palms were instantly clammy and my heart hammered in my chest. Why was I nervous? It was stupid to be nervous. I manned up and walked toward them, sitting down next to Jack.

“Morning, guys,” I said, looking at Xavier and then at Jack. An ankle hooked mine from under the table in response.

“Morning, Freckles!” Jack said.

“’Sup, Hiccup,” Xavier said, smiling back. I laughed.

“That was stupid,” I said through my laugh. Xavier looked at me funny. “it… it rhymed… just… never mind. I didn’t say anything.”

“Oh… _oh!_ Ahahaha wow, ha, I didn’t think about that!” Xavier said, bursting out in laughter. Lauren gave him a look.

“Yeah, a million years late, X,” Jack said, his voice muffled a bit. I looked, and his mouth was full of waffles. I looked around, those damn good Belgium waffles were going to be mine, but there were none left.

“Dang it!” I said. “Are those the last of them?” I asked, frowning and hoping it to not be true. Jack winced slightly.

“Uh, hehe yeah, sorry. You wanna share?” He said, pushing the plate over so it was between us. A smile spread across my face.

“As long as you don’t mind them being drowned with syrup,” I said, grabbed the syrup container and spilling it over the plate. Jack laughed. We dug in.

We were sitting next to each other, sharing food, our ankles were hooked together… _was this practically our first date?_

I chased the thought out of my head automatically, the stupidity of it hitting me like a ton of bricks. We’ve been doing things like this forever, it’s not like this just happened out of nowhere, but this is the first time we actually shared food from the same plate.

“Geez, Hiccup,” Jack said, wiping the corner of his lip with the back of his hand. “How much syrup do you need?” I nudged him, laughing.

“Just enough the fill a swimming pool,” I said, taking another bite of the waffles. “Why does it matter? I would think that Mr. Fun would want a sugar rush every once in a while,” Xavier laughed at that.

“You do not want to see Jack on a sugar rush,” Xavier said, shaking his head at me. “I swear he’s a squirrel on crack,”

“Hey! I’m not that bad!” Jack protested.

“Speed,” Lauren said. “He’s a squirrel on speed.”

“An S.O.S?” I asked, laughing. Lauren snorted, setting down her cup before she could take a sip. Her shoulders shook with silent laughter, and she looked like she wasn’t breathing.

“Oh, yes, I’m an S.O.S. Look at me, making rhymes, in my on time…” Jack was saying. I looked at him weirdly.

“Jack what are you-?”

“Go suck a lime, listen to the wind chimes…”

“Seriously, you’re starting to creep me out…”

“Aaaaaaaand, I ran out of rhymes.” Jack said, laughing. “Man, I was on a roll too!”

“No, no you actually weren’t.” Hiccup assured. Jack pushed him.

“We should really get going before the-” Lauren said, right when the bell rang. “Well, see you guys later!” She said, waving to them and basically running out of the Great Hall, a great smile on her face.

“Class, right?” Xavier groaned, standing up.

“Heh, yeah, class.” Jack said. “C’mon, Frecks. Tooth’ll kill us if we’re late to her class.” I sighed.

“Yeah, I know.” I said. “But she’ll probably kill me already if she saw all the syrup on my waffles…” I never really thought about it. Tooth would kill me. 

“Lighten up,” Jack said, shaking Hiccup’s shoulder. “Let’s just go,”

And with that, we left.

* * *

 

** Jack’s P.O.V **

Hiccup and I were walking down the totally abandoned corridors, our bags on our shoulders. Hiccup had a light smile on his face, and he slipped his hand into mine nonchalantly. I smirked.

And then I couldn’t take it. I glanced behind us, and then in front of us. Absolutely no one. My smirk widened as I pushed Hiccup against the wall. He let out a sharp gasp as his back connected with the marble.

“Jack, what are you doing?” Hiccup asked. Well, it definitely wasn’t a rejection.

“Giving my boyfriend a proper good morning,” I answered, making him blush a deep crimson. I laughed, and kissed him slowly. His fingers gripped my hair, and he kissed back. The kiss wasn’t that long, but the meaning was definitely there. I pulled away, biting my bottom lip slightly.

“Good morning to you too,” Hiccup breathed, pressing our foreheads together. “Come on, we need to get to class.” I groaned.

“I’d rather ditch,” I muttered. Something in the bottom of my stomach twisted and turned, the sense of unease sweeping throughout my body. This wasn’t fair. I finally had Hiccup and… I had to hide it and go to class. I mean, I know both of us weren’t ready for everyone to know, and even if I was there was no way I would make Hiccup uncomfortable like that.

“Oh, don’t be such a crybaby Frosty,” Hiccup said, lacing his fingers in mine and pulling me down the hallway. “It’s only a couple hours, and then we’ll be free to go. It’s not that bad.” No, it wasn’t that bad. _It was worse_. He was just making it fifty times harder than it should have. It’s _just_ a couple hours… My ass. Now that I have something better to do, I might as well not be doing anything!

But… this was Hiccup I was talking about. Hiccup, the number one nerdiest Ravenclaw that has ever set foot in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He wouldn’t let me ditch, much less ditch with me. And he would want to do homework too. Well, at least I don’t have Sammy to worry about anymore…

“Jack, are you okay?” Hiccup asked, waving his other hand in my face. I blinked a couple times, and then looked at him.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry,” I said

“Geez, spacey much?” Hiccup asked, laughing. I shot him a fake glare.

“My threat to kiss-attack you still stands, you know…” I said. Hiccup stuck his tongue out at me, his eyes scrunching up as he taunted me

“I’d like to see you try…” Hiccup said, making the uneasy feeling in my stomach turn to mush and then transform into a million butterflies that were trying to migrate for the winter. I rolled my eyes at him.

“I would if we didn’t have class to go to,” I said. Hiccup laughed a little.

“Class is going to be the death of you now, huh?” Freckles asked, and I was ready to swipe the dorky smile right off his face… but then we entered Professor Tooth’s class, our hands falling away from each other’s quickly.

“Don’t you know it...” I mumbled, sitting down in our seats as the lesson started.

* * *

 “Hey Xavier,” Lauren said lightly, slipping next to the blond as they walked down the hallway.

“Hey Lauren,” He greeted, a smile lighting up his face. They kept walking in a comfortable silence, their shoulders brushing as they walked. They both had smiles on their faces. “So…” Xavier said, his eyes flitting away and then returned back to Lauren.

“Want to head over to the Whomping Willow?” Lauren asked suddenly. Xavier blinked, a smile spreading slightly across his face. Lauren automatically blushed, brushing her hair behind her ear as she nervously looked at the floor. “You know, it’s a beautiful day, and I don’t really want to spend it…” She was cut off by a hand grabbing hers.

“With anyone else?” Xavier said, finishing her sentence.

“I was going to say ‘inside’ but I guess that works too,” Lauren said, giggling at the look on Xavier’s face when she said it.

“You just killed my soul…” Xavier muttered, squeezing her hand lightly.

“Deal with it, you don’t need a soul… wait, you had a soul in the first place?!” Lauren said, acting shocked.

“Of course I had a soul!” Xavier countered.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Lauren said, whining slightly. Then she had a wry smile on her face, looking Xavier dead in the eye. “I would have killed it sooner,” She said, her voice sounding evil. Xavier just snorted, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

“You really would,” Xavier said. They arrived near the Whomping Willow, and they both sat down a good distance away from the tree; it wasn’t called that for nothing. They sat side by side, their hips practically sewn together, and Lauren was leaning her head on Xavier’s shoulder.

“You think they know?” She asked quietly, looking up at Xavier. He just smiled, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Probably,” He answered.

“I hope not…” Lauren said, making Xavier look at her incredulously. “’Cause then Plan B would be pointless.”

“Do you ever stop thinking about ways to get them together?” Xavier asked, slightly laughing. The rumble resulting from it in his chest made Lauren sigh a little.

“Yeah, but only sometimes. Like when I’m writing an essay… or when I’m with you,” Lauren said, adding the last thing as quietly as she could. But Xavier heard her, and he smiled.

“How cheesy can you get, princess?” Xavier asked, laughing again.

“Very cheesy,” Lauren said. “I can make lasagna if you want,”

“What does that have to do with it?” Xavier laughed. Lauren took her head off his shoulder, because he was laughing so hard.

“Lasagna,” Lauren repeated, trying to hold in the laughter herself. “It has cheese… like, lots.”

“You would be thinking of food right now,” Xavier said, wiping the tear away from his eye. Lauren shot him a smile.

“It’s what I do,” She said, shrugging.

“Leave it to Lauren…” Xavier said, rolling his eyes and trying to suppress his smile. Lauren slapped him playfully on the arm.

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” She yelled, laughing.

* * *

“Hiccup, are you done yet?” Silence. “Hey Hiccup, I know you can hear me.” A pause. “Freckles… hey Freckles, are you done?”

Hiccup slumped forward, his head hitting the table with a loud bang. Jack sniggered. Hiccup groaned, rubbing his forehead slightly as he wrote a couple sentences more.

“Hiccup, are you-?”

“YES JACK! For god’s sake, I’m done with my homework!” Hiccup shouted. “Are you happy now?”

“Very,” Jack said, hugging Hiccup from behind and nuzzling his face into the crook of the boy’s neck. “I’m so glad I can do this now…” He said. Hiccup blushed, not even trying to hide it.

“So… how long have you liked me, exactly?” Hiccup asked, laughing slightly. Jack pulled away and sat next to him.

“Um… a long time, really,” Jack said, color rising slightly to his cheeks.

“Wow, so specific…” Hiccup said, rolling his eyes. “C’mon, tell me,”

“Uh… ever since first year?” Jack said. Hiccup’s eyes went wide. “I mean, I know that I didn’t know you, and I didn’t even know you’re name, but… I couldn’t help but like you.” Hiccup blinked a couple times, trying to make sense out of all this. “Well, don’t just sit there. Say something.” Jack said.

“This is so stupid…” Hiccup said finally, smiling like an idiot

“Stupid? What do you mean, stupid?” Jack said frantically. Did he think he was a creep or something?!

“I’ve liked you ever since first year too,” Hiccup said, laughing.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Jack said, his voice small, looking at Hiccup with wide blue eyes. A smile stretched across his face. “You’re saying that we’ve liked each other for the same amount of time, and never said anything?”

“Pretty much,” Hiccup said, matching Jack’s smile.

“Well, this is slightly awkward.” Jack said, sliding his hand into Hiccup’s.

“Yeah. ‘ _That awkward moment when you find out your crush likes you too and you never said anything_.’ Classic.” Hiccup remarked. “I feel like an idiot now…”

“Well, at least you’re my idiot,” Jack said, batting his eyelashes at Hiccup, who rolled his eyes and exhaled sharply through his nose. “So… when’s Ravenclaw having their Quidditch tryouts?” Jack asked. Hiccup slumped, and groaned.

“Next week,” Hiccup said.

“Hey, you’re going to do great,” Jack assured. “You’ll kick the competition’s ass out there,” Hiccup smiled, his eyes sparkling at the compliment. Jack leaned in and kissed his nose lightly. “C’mon, we should go and do something.”

“Yeah, I’m sure Toothless would want to ramble at you again,” Hiccup said, stuffing everything into his backpack and standing up. Jack did the same.

“Hey, even though you can’t hear doesn’t mean that he doesn’t talk,” Jack said. “And he can talk. A lot.”

“Whatever you say,” Hiccup said. Jack threw his arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders, and they walked out of the Room of Requirement.

* * *

**...**

* * *

 

After getting Toothless and Jack’s staff, the couple ambled outside. Jack had his staff lazily on his shoulders, and Toothless walked in front of them, looking over his shoulder from time to time to look at the two.

“ **I cannot believe it took you guys this long to figure it out** ,” Toothless started.

“C’mon, bud, don’t-!” Jack protested, earning a weird look from Hiccup. But Toothless ignored him, and kept talking.

“ **I am serious! You two were really obvious. This should have happened eons ago** ,”

“I understand, okay? Can you let it go?” Jack groaned, smacking his forehead and letting his hand drag down his face. Toothless meowed, not replying anymore as he swished his tail sassily. Hiccup chuckled at his boyfriend.

“What’s he saying?” Hiccup asked, and Jack was about to answer him when he held up his hand. “No, no, lemme guess. He’s saying, ‘Jack, why do you have to be such an idiot?’”

“That’s offensive…” Jack said, glaring at him. “He basically called both of us idiots, for not seeing _this_ earlier,” Hiccup just rolled his eyes and grabbed Jack’s hand, lacing their fingers together.

“Well, I wouldn’t change anything,” Hiccup said, a faint smile on his lips. Jack just gave him a confused, skeptical type look.

“You wouldn’t?” Jack said.

“I wouldn’t!” Hiccup said. “I’m actually happy that everything played out how it did. I mean, think about how things might have changed if we…” He turned, forest green meeting icy blue.

It was like they were under a spell again. Jack’s hand slowly came up, cupping Hiccup’s cheek. The freckled boy blushed, but didn’t pull away. Actually, it was the opposite. The two moved closer to each other, until finally their eyes slipped closed and their lips touched.

The kiss was innocent, sweet, and it showed how much the two cared about the other. Nothing was rushed. It was just them and that moment. Toothless looked back at the two, only to find their lips connected again. The cat rolled his eyes, but he was purring all the while. He looked away from the two.

Jack pulled away, ever so slightly, and rested his forehead on Hiccup’s, their noses still touching.

“So what were you saying?” Jack asked, a bit breathlessly.

“I have no idea,” Hiccup replied, a dorky grin spreading across his face. “And I sort of don’t want to remember,”

“And why not?” His boyfriend mumbled.

“You are seriously ruining the moment,” Hiccup remarked, laughing and moving away from Jack. Jack, on the other hand, just laughed and threw his arms around Hiccup, pinning the freckled boy’s arms to his sides while nuzzling his face into the long auburn hair.

“But that’s what my soul purpose in life is, Freckles!” Jack said. Hiccup had a wide smile on his face, and struggled to get out of Jack’s grip weakly. He eventually gave up and let himself he embraced by the white-haired male. “You don’t know how happy this makes me…” Jack mumbled, making Hiccup smile more.

“I’m pretty sure I do,” He remarked, “and I would be hugging back… if you would let me,”

“Just let me love you, Frecks,” Jack said, squeezing his boyfriend. Hiccup just laughed.

* * *

Lauren and Xavier were still sitting by the Whomping Willow. They did their homework by the tree, chatting all the while. Then, after, they lay down in the grass and talked more, watching the clouds and the Willow.

Toothless obviously knew that they were out there, and so when Hiccup and Jack got all mushy-gushy, he retreated to the two other people that loved him to death instead. Using his Night Fury stealth, he sneaked over there, and pawed at Lauren’s foot.

“Merow,” Toothless said, his claw getting caught on her shoelace. Both Xavier and Lauren sat up as fast as lightning, eyes wide with dorky smiles on their faces.

“Toothless!” They both shrieked, ushering the little cat to sit in between them. Eager fingers rubbed at his skin, making him purr.

“Hey buddy…” Xavier cooed. “Where’s Hiccup?” His fingers brushed the back of Toothless’ ear, making Toothless tilt his head up. As soon as the cat’s green eyes locked onto Xavier’s eyes, Toothless rolled his eyes.

“He probably let him out to roam around. You know how he gets sometimes,” Lauren said, her hand stroking Toothless’ back. “Besides, who cares?” Lauren remarked, shooting Xavier a look of pure joy. “We get Mr. Toothless over here, huh?” She said in a baby voice, scratching his head. Toothless purred, and it was louder and deeper than any cat’s purr should have been. But, then again, he wasn’t exactly a cat… well, not totally.

Toothless stood up, and Xavier and Lauren watched him attentively. He pawed at Xavier, and after about two seconds, they both got the message: “ _Stand up_.” Once they had all their stuff gathered, Toothless nodded, and started walking at a leisurely pace.

Xavier and Lauren shared a look.

“Are we really being led somewhere by a cat?” Xavier whispered, his hair turning blue. Lauren snorted.

“I think so,” She said. Toothless, hearing this of course, shot them an offended look, or rather the best offended look a cat could take on. But he didn’t blame them; all they knew him as was a cat. They didn’t know he was a dragon… and that he was showing them something important.

Most of you might have been wondering why Toothless loved Lauren and Xavier when he first met them, when he was supposed to be a non-friendly type of animal. Well, animals are smarter than people, and they happen to be better judges of character because they can pick up on certain things that humans cannot see. For instance, Toothless knew that Lauren and Xavier knew Hiccup and Jack’s secret, and he liked them because he knew they were trying to do something about the two clueless ones. How he knew? Simple really. Toothless was observant; he saw Xavier and Lauren share a look when the two boys did something mildly suggestive about their feelings toward one another, he felt their anxiety when they were near them. Thus, he was friendly with the two.

Jack, on the other hand, was different. Toothless had many reasons not to like him. First, he liked his rider. Enough said. Hiccup was his, and Toothless wasn’t about to share. Second, was simply because of the fact that he was unaware that Hiccup felt the same towards him. That was why Toothless didn’t like Jack so much… until, of course, Jack started showing that he liked Toothless despite all the dragon-stuck-as-a-cat did to freak him out.

So… back to the main point. Toothless was leading Xavier and Lauren through the grounds of Hogwarts, and it looked like they were going to enter the Great Hall pavilion, when Toothless stopped and looked over his shoulder at the two. The cat jerked his head slightly, and Lauren followed what he was insinuating…

And her eyes landed on two figures, hugging and… wait, was that a kiss? Lauren’s eyes widened as she figured out who it was. A big, dopey grin spread across her face, as she chomped down on her bottom lip, and squealed as quietly as she could. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet, one hand slapped over her mouth and the other pulling frantically on Xavier’s sleeve.

“Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh!” Lauren said. Xavier just squinted into the darkness. His eyesight was really terrible.

“What? I don’t…” And then his voice trailed off, a proud smile coming upon his face. “Our boys grew up, Lauren,” He said, with the air of a proud father. “That, or they grew a pair.” Lauren snorted, almost falling on the floor laughing.

“Don’t make me laugh, you dork!” Lauren said, slapping his chest with the back of her hand. Toothless’ tail wagged, much like a dog’s, as he purred unnaturally loud. “Let’s go to dinner,” She suggested, pulling on Xavier’s hand.

“Why? Don’t you want to go all stalker-status on them?” Xavier asked, looking at her with a smile. Lauren just rolled her eyes, her sarcastic smile flashing in the semi-darkness.

“Of course not!” Lauren said quietly. “Well, before, I just really wanted to see if they were going to do something, you know? Now… it’s kind of like invading their privacy…?”

“Oh, like it wasn’t invading their privacy before,” Xavier said, rolling his eyes, which were glowing slightly, like glow-sticks on Halloween evening.

“No, it wasn’t,” Lauren said, confident. Xavier gave her a look that said, ‘ _oh really?_ ’ “That was looking out for their well-being. Now, can you please stop fighting with me? We do have dinner to attend.”

“You make it sound so fancy,” He said, rolling his eyes for the countless time that day.

“I’m taking that as a compliment, now let’s go,” Lauren said, finally succeeding in pulling Xavier towards the entrance, Toothless trailing behind them comfidently.

_Mission complete_ , Toothless thought.

* * *

**...**

* * *

 

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except for the fact that people were eating wherever they wanted tonight. Xavier and Lauren were sitting side by side, well almost. Toothless was in the middle of them, looking like a king amongst his subjects as he ate his smoked cod on the table.

Another thing that was out of the ordinary was that Hiccup and Jack entered the Hall together, blushing like mad, their hands centimeters away, as if they were connected a few seconds ago. They looked around briefly before finding Xavier and Lauren (and Toothless) and heading over in that direction.

“Hey guys,” Hiccup greeted, plopping down opposite them and smiling. Xavier and Lauren shared a look, mischievous smiles spreading on their faces. Lauren reached up and petted Toothless behind the ears.

“Toothless!” Jack exclaimed. “We’ve been looking for you for ages!”

“ **I highly doubt that** ,” Toothless remarked. Jack reddened.

“Oh, hey bud!” Hiccup said frantically. Toothless slipped under the table and nestled himself in between the two boyfriends. Hiccup doted on him, forgetting all about food for the moment just to pet his cat. “Sorry, bud…” Hiccup murmured. “I promise we’ll got flying tonight…” He said that a bit too loud, mostly because he forgot that anyone else was around.

“Did you just say fly?” Xavier asked, almost spitting out his pumpkin juice. Hiccup bit his lip nervously, as Jack just looked at him.

“Uh, yeah,” Hiccup said, occupying himself with the task of loading up his plate. “Toothless likes flying with me, that’s how I’ve gotten so-”

“You’re not telling us everything,” Lauren pointed out, cutting him off. “So, are you going to tell us or what?”

“Do you have some kind of superpower or something?” Jack asked incredulously. “It’s like you know everything!”

“It’s _called_ knowing your friends,” Lauren said.

“It’s _called_ mind-reading, and it’s creepy. Cut it out,” Jack protested.

“Well, I know what you’re trying to do, and no I’m not going to get off-topic.” Lauren said, looking at Hiccup expectantly. Hiccup froze.

“I’ll, uh, show you guys later. You wouldn’t really believe me if I told you.” Hiccup said, and before Xavier and Lauren could even protest… “And there’s too many people around. They might hear,” he added.

“Alright then.”

* * *

 

 

**...**

* * *

 

Xavier, Lauren, Jack, Hiccup and Toothless found an empty class room and piled in. They looked at each other for a second, until Xavier broke the silence.

“So… tell my why you made us come in an abandoned classroom, again?” He asked. Hiccup struggled to not roll his eyes as he dug around in his boot for his wand.

“Because there’s something I need to show you,” Hiccup said, glancing at Toothless with a faint smile. “Ready, bud?” He asked. The cat nodded, and pranced to the middle of the classroom, and crouched down in a playful position.

“Hiccup, what are you-?” Lauren asked.

Hiccup slashed at the air with his wand, his lips barely moving as he said the spell in his mind and not out loud. Lauren lunged forward, realizing that Hiccup was aiming at Toothless, but Jack caught her around the middle, holding her back. The spell hit Toothless, and the sensation felt like trickling water running though his whole body. And then he started to grow.

In moments, Xavier’s eyes almost popped out of his head as he stared at a Night Fury in the middle of the classroom where Toothless was. Lauren stumbled back a few steps. She patted all her pockets frantically, looking for something, until she reached up to her ear, and spun her wand around once.

“ _Petrificus Totalus_!” Lauren yelled.

“No!” Hiccup said, jumping her wand hand and moving it at the last second, the spell hitting the adjacent wall. Lauren’s wand clattered to the ground. “You don’t have to hurt them…” Hiccup said. “Dragons… they aren’t what you think they are…”

“There’s a reason why the Ministry of Magic has a whole bunch of restrictions when it comes to dragons, Hiccup,” Xavier said. “They’re killers,”

“Humans are just as much as killers as dragons are, and you know it,” Jack said. “Besides, has Toothless once tried to hurt you in any way? I don’t think so. He’s been nothing but sweet on you two. Why does this make a difference?”

Toothless cooed quietly, walking up behind Hiccup and pushing his nose into Hiccup’s hand. His rider stoked his nose quietly for a few seconds. Then he looked at Lauren and Xavier.

“You have to trust me,” Hiccup said earnestly. “Toothless is different. He’s not like the other dragons you might have heard about,”

Xavier stepped forward, and went up to Toothless. He stretched out his fingers and touched the black dragon’s cool scales. A smile spread on his face, as much bigger acid green eyes surveyed him. He looked back at Lauren, giving a little nod. Lauren waked towards them, a little apprehensively, but she still petted Toothless. She smiled as she tossed her hair out of her face.

“It’s not so different from kitty Toothless,” She murmured, running her hands along the sides of the dragon’s neck and back. She laughed at the response she got: a dragon moving closer to her, trying to get her to pet him more.

Hiccup slipped towards Jack, smiling at the scene before them. Jack’s arm encircled his waist slowly, pulling the smaller boy closer to him.

“You didn’t plan for this to happen, did you?” Jack asked quietly. Hiccup looked up, a smile on his face.

“If I had it my way, no one but you would know about him,” Hiccup said, leaning into Jack. “But I’m, glad I don’t have to lie to them anymore.”

“Well, except maybe…” Jack started to say, but he was cut off.

“Oh, we know already,” Xavier said with a smile. Jack and Hiccup looked at him blankly.

“Yeah, you don’t have to lie, you doofs,” Lauren added.

The couple turned to look at each other again, this time equipped with huge dorky grins plastered on their faces. _Well, that was done and over with_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to give this to you guys, at least! (i finally finished all my college applications! hooray!)  
> THANK YOU SO MUCH! PLEASE REVIEW!!


	22. Sky High

Chapter Twenty-Two: Sky High

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

I was shaking, and if it wasn’t for Jack’s hand, I would have probably been on the floor already.

Today was the day of the Quidditch tryouts.

They had it set up so that every House would have its own time for their tryouts during the day. Everyone was trying out today.  

I was nervous as shit. I didn’t have the right clothes; I was dressed in some baggy dark grey jeans and my olive-colored long sleeve, my fur vest and boots as always. My insides were doing cartwheels, and my legs felt like Jell-O. I wasn’t ready for this. If I was just doing it to goof around, then I would have no problem with it. But no, this was for an actual _team_. People were going to be watching my every move, judging me and my skill.

“Hey, you’re going to do fine,” Jack murmured in my ear. Shivers discreetly ran up my spine as I shot him an irritated look. Well, almost irritated.

“You don’t know that,” I muttered, looking anywhere but at the person by my side. What can I say, being too hopeful could be just like being cocky sometimes. I didn’t want to be that guy that says ‘oh yeah, I got this in the bag’ and then it turns out I didn’t get on the team. I’d rather try my hardest and think that I’m not going to get in, and be surprised when I do.

A hand appeared in my line of vision, and a cold touch turned my head, my eyes immediately connecting with Jack’s. There was a little smirk playing on his face, as his cold hand cupped my cheek.

“You need to knock that off,” Jack said. “You’re the best flier I know, Frecks, all you got to do is go out there and have some fun.” His thumb moved, brushing my cheek softly. My hand came up to rest on his.

“I’ll try,” I said, the corners of my lips curling up a tad.

“Do it for me,” Jack said. He leaned in, and kissed me quickly. I tried to make it last, but he just ended up moving away with this huge smile on his face.

“Well, that leaves me no room to argue,” I reply, going on my tip-toes and kissing him one last time.

* * *

**...**

* * *

 

The pitch was full of people. First up was Slytherrin, but we didn’t play attention to those. Next up were the Hufflepuffs, and Lauren dominated the pitch. She tried out to be a chaser, and she looked tired afterwards. She definitely gave it her all, and I saw the team captains giving her impressed looks, but only when she wasn’t paying attention. She flashed us a smile, and we cheered for her as she climbed the stands and joined us. And by ‘us,’ I mean me, Xavier, and Jack.

“Well, that was thrilling,” She said, sitting down with a little huff.

“You’re totally on the team,” Jack said. Lauren just rolled her eyes, brushing him off.

“You should have seen the way the captain was looking at you,” Xavier said. “He was goggling at you as if you were the newest Quidditch goddess or something!”

“And all the others,” I added. “They were giving you some mean evil eyes. I might want to watch your back if I were you,” I advised. Lauren pushed my shoulder.

“I can’t technically watch my back, you dork.” Lauren said. “But thanks guys. At least most of us think that I did okay,”

“That run was absolutely perfect!” Xavier exclaimed.

“Yeah, but I almost dropped the Quaffle and my balance was off and it threw off-!” Lauren was rambling. Jack reached over and firmly put his hand on the top of her head, shutting her up like one would an extremely annoying alarm clock.

“You’re on the team.” Jack said with finality. “No one did anywhere as good as you.”

“RAVENCLAWS! ALL RAVENCLAWS WISHING TO TRY OUT FOR THE QUIDDITCH TEAM ON THE PITCH!” Someone yelled from the pitch. I stiffened a bit.

“Go on, Hiccy,” Xavier said, jerking his head towards the pitch.

“Good luck,” Lauren said, touching my shoulder.

“Have fun out there,” Jack said encouragingly.

I laughed, okay well, maybe it was a nervous laugh, but it was a laugh anyway. I made my way down to the pitch. Since I didn’t have a broom of my own, I picked one out of the pile: a semi-beat up Cleansweep Seven. It wasn’t the best, but I flew on it before and it was the best of the bunch. I tossed it nervously from hand to hand as they sorted us out. There was a lot of us.

They separated us by what position we wanted to play. There were Chasers, Beaters, the Keeper, and the Seeker. I was in the Chasers’ group. I didn’t know where else to go. To say that I was shaking in my boots was an understatement. It was more like I was the epicenter of a 12.2 earthquake on a seismograph.

The try-outs were tedious. They judged the Chaser’s last, so I had to stand there and wait for everyone to have their turn. I glanced up at Lauren, Xavier, and Jack every once in a while, and waved at me, and even from far away, I saw they were beaming at me.

Finally, after what seemed like forever and no time and all, it was the Chasers turn. I let everyone else go first. Maybe after their try-out, they would leave, and I wouldn’t have that big of an audience. But freaking Ravenclaws were smart. They all stuck around, sizing up the competition and estimating if they were good enough. I put my broom on my shoulder awkwardly as I waited until I was the last person.

“What’s your name?” A girl asked nicely, holding a clipboard and a pencil. She had nice brown eyes and a pixie cut. There was a tall guy next to her, all muscles and hard attitude. I didn’t look at him.

“Oh, um, Hiccup. Haddock.” I said, adding my last name because they probably needed it.

“Hey, you’re the one that scored a 100 percent on Pitch’s impossible test last year, huh?” She asked, pointing her pencil at me, the smile on her face showing that she did remember me.

“Uh, yup, that’s me,” I said, smiling sheepishly.

“Well, show us what you can do, bookworm,” The muscular guy said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“This is basically a little simulation,” The girl explained, after shooting the guy a hard look. “We have some volunteers up there, and basically, you have to avoid them all and get the Quaffle to the goal post. Understand?”

“Yup,” I said.

“Hop to it then, bookworm,” the guy said. I hopped onto my broom and kicked off, thinking, _Well, bookworm is better than fishbone_.  I looked at the people I had to avoid, and they looked… big, very intimidating, and very much like they could crush my skull with a pinch. I gulped.

“On my whistle!” the girl yelled. I was tossed the Quaffle, and I caught it deftly, tucking it under my right arm.

“YOU CAN DO IT HICCUP!” I heard Jack yell faintly. I smiled.

And then the shrill sound of the whistle filled the air, and all the Skull-Crushers were heading towards me. My eyes widened. They’re going to kill me! I freaked out a bit, and my broom fell ten feet out of the air, just out of the Skull-Crushers reach. They almost crashed into each other, but they stopped just in time and locked their eyes on me, looks about to kill.

I gave them a smile, and a little nod, and then I sunk down and my broom shot off. The jerk should have unseated me, just because of the speed the broom shot off at, but I rode a _dragon_ , okay? Handling a broom was no problem. The wind felt good on my face, and I smiled a bit wider.

And, apparently the Skull-Crushers didn’t like being outsmarted, and they were on me in seconds. One went right in front of me, a nasty sneer on his face. He thought that I would crash, drop the Quaffle, and fail my try-out. Ha, he was way wrong.

I went faster, if anything. His sneer faltered a bit, and then he flinched when I was a foot away… and then I jerked my left hand that was clutching the Cleansweep, and I swerved, narrowly missing the Skull-Crusher. I tossed a look behind my shoulder, and then I looked in front of me again.

The Skull-Crushers were obviously determined to stop me this time, and it looked like they had an actual strategy this time. They were arranged in front of me so that I couldn’t swerve away without crashing into one of the others.

Hmm… a challenge. I think I’ll take them up on that one.

My smile widened, and so did theirs. I passed two of them, and there was one promptly right in front of me. I gripped the Cleansweep with both hands now, and I _pulled_. I went up, and I turned upside-down, and fell right-side up again quickly, avoiding every single Skull-Crusher in my way.

They were on my tail in an instant, no real plan now. They only had one goal: catch the fishbone and murder his chances of getting on the team. Out of all the tryouts I watched that day, I don’t think the Skull-Crushers got anywhere near as angry as they were now. They repeatedly crashed into me, trying to make me lose control of my broom or drop the Quaffle. One tried to snatch it away from me. I endured the hits, and even rammed into them myself, and when they tried snatching it, I dived down suddenly, getting out of their reach in an instant.

It seemed like absolutely forever until I reached the goal posts, battered a bruised slightly, but I still had the Quaffle and a smirk on my face. My eyes narrowed as I laughed, and the broom shot off, understanding me almost like Toothless would. We were far away from the Skull-Crushers when I tossed the Quaffle in the tallest goal post easily.

I laughed triumphantly, and hovered in the air for a second. Everyone’s eyes were on me. I saw Jack, Lauren, and Xavier in the stands, jumping and hollering at me. Pretty much everyone else’s mouth were open in shock. A stupid smile was still on my face as I dove down and flew back to the girl and the muscular guy. I hopped off my broom gracefully, and put it on my shoulder. They ran up to me.

“What the hell was that?” The girl asked. She sounded like she was mad at me. Crap. Did I do something wrong?

“I-” I started to say in my defense, but the muscular guy cut me off.

“Now that’s how you play Quidditch!” He said, laughing. He clapped my shoulder a bit too hard, making me stumble a bit. “Welcome to the team, Hiccup! I’m your captain, Josh.”

“Wait… I’m on the team? I made the team?!” I said. The girl giggled at me.

“Of course you made the team!” She said. “That was the best try out we’ve seen all day! I’m Angel, your co-captain,” Angel said. 

“W-wow, thanks,” I said.

“We’ll set you up with a broom and a uniform pretty soon,” Josh said, shaking my shoulder.

“Okay,” I said, dazed.

I almost ran back to the stands. My knees were shaking and the dorky grin was still on my face (I’m not really sure if that’ll ever go away, to be honest). I had to save my strength to climb back all the way up the stands.

Turns out, Lauren, Xavier, and Jack were waiting for me at the bottom of the stands. They were talking excitedly, until Jack’s eyes wandered and saw me coming. A huge grin spread across his face and he took off running towards me. I don’t even know how, but I was running to.

In seconds, I was in his arms. He spun me once, and we were both laughing like idiots.

“I told you that you would be fine!” Jack said, letting me go. I laughed.

“You don’t have to rub it in!” I said back. “And _sorry_ I was nervous!”

“You didn’t have to be nervous! That was amazing!” Jack said.

“I didn’t even know that flying like that was possible,” Xavier said. “We’re going to have to watch out on the pitch, huh Jack?” He asked jokingly. Jack just laughed and gave a nod. Lauren walked up to me, and hugged me until I could barely breathe.

“You did great out there, you little cheat,” She said in my ear. I laughed.

“How was I cheating?” I asked innocently. I didn’t cheat!

“You were cheating,” She answered simply.

“Tell me how I was cheating,” I said, moving away from her. “Tell me specifically how I cheated, and I’ll stop talking.” She gave me a look: eyebrows up, eyes skeptical, mouth twisted up in a wry smile.

“You’ve been flying Toothless, and that’s how you got so dang good,” Lauren said. My face fell. She chuckled once, and rolled her eyes. “Exactly, I win,” She stated.

“Technically, that’s not even cheating.” I said. Lauren gave me that look again. “And aren’t you the one that told me to try out in the first place?” I shot her the look, and her shoulders sagged. “Yup, that’s right. I win.”

“I don’t like you…” She said. I laughed.

“You love me,” I replied.

“GRYFFINDORS! ALL GRYFFINDORS WANTING TO TRY OUT FOR THE QUIDDITCH TEAM, ON THE PITCH!” a voice sounded. Lauren and I quit our bickering and looked at Xavier and Jack.

“Good luck guys,” Lauren said, giving them each a quick hug.

“Thanks, Lauren,” Xavier said, smiling as he started to walk off. Jack was about to follow him when I grabbed his wrist and turned him around. He looked kind of startled when I stood on my toes and kissed him.

“And a kiss for good luck,” I murmured as the kiss broke. Jack just laughed at me.

“Well, that’s one way of putting it,” Jack said. He brushed the hair out of my eyes quickly before moving away. “I gotta go,” He said.

“Then go,” I said sarcastically. He stuck his tongue out at me, and I laughed. He jogged away, straight to the pitch.

“How do you think they’re going to do?” Lauren asked me, as we made our way up the stands. I tossed a look over my shoulder at her.

“Are you kidding me?” I asked. “They’re going to do great. Trust me, if I got on the team, they will too.” Lauren laughed at this, and she didn’t say anything else until we were sitting high up in the stands.

“Yeah, I don’t know why I’m so worried…” She muttered, smiling slightly.

“Because you’re a mother hen, always wanting her chicks to be amazing out there in the world,” I said. She looked at me.

“Don’t compare me to a chicken,” She remarked.

* * *

**...**

* * *

 

Jack and Xavier passed their try-outs with flying colors, as they have been doing for years. Some people actually tried to mimic me, and all my tricks and maneuvers, and they had epically failed, costing them their try-out.

Well, that’s what they get. Copy-cats.

Before Lauren and I could run over and congratulate the two of them, Jack and Xavier were swarmed by tons of cheering Gryffindors. Apparently, they were going to the common room to celebrate.

Why would you celebrate after try-outs? Wouldn’t you rather celebrate after, I don’t know, an actual game?

“Well, that’s a little stupid,” I murmured, crossing my arms over my chest. Lauren laughed at me.

“We got our boyfriends stolen, Hiccup,” She said between her laughs.

“Boyfriends, huh?” I said wryly. She stopped laughing as her cheeks turned red. “You and Xavier finally together, then?” I asked.

“Um yeah, we’ve been for a bit, I guess,” She said, looking away and rubbing the back of her neck. I scoffed.

“And you haven’t told me?” I said incredulously. “How rude…”

“Like you told me about you and Jack!” She countered.

“So what? That was for a day!” I said. “And you two figured it out, so stop complaining!”

“I’ll complain if I want to, Haddock!” She said, poking me in the chest. I smacked her hand away.

“Fine, be all mopey and complain!” I back-sassed. Lauren laughed.

* * *

**...**

* * *

 

We walked into the castle, ambling around and not really having anything to do.

“Today was a good day,” Lauren said, smiling fondly. I rolled my eyes.

“You’ve just about said that at least twenty times,” I replied.

“Well, it was a good day!” Lauren said.

My thoughts drifted off, thinking about nothing in particular until they landed on try-outs. That was pretty fun, but imagine how cool it be if I went to try out with Toothless? Toothless. Ha! I found something to do!

“Hey Loor?” I asked, a smile spreading across my face.

“Mmm?” She said.

“How would you like to go on a ride with Toothless?” I asked. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Dude, you don’t even have to ask!” Lauren said, bouncing on her heels a bit before latching onto my arm and shaking it. “ _That would be so cool_!” I pried her hands off of me, and she just brushed her hair back. “Wait… are you serious?” She asked.

“Dead serious,” I replied.

“Heck yeah!” She said. “Let’s go then!”

It was just a couple minutes, and Toothless and I were practically running out of the castle to where I told Lauren to wait. It was nearly dark out, and everyone would be in the Great Hall anyways.

“Finally!” She said, as we rounded the corner and met her in the courtyard. “I’ve been waiting forever!” I twisted my wand around and shot a silent spell at Toothless the cat, turning him into a Night Fury in no time flat. “Hey Toothless~” Lauren cooed, scratching the dragon behind his ears and on the back of his neck.

“Don’t scratch under his chin, that’s all I’m saying,” I said, laughing a little as I pulled on Toothless’ flight gear. I hopped onto his back a second later. “Well, get on,” I said to Lauren, who was just staring at me. She climbed on clumsily and put her hands on my shoulders.

“This is so… cool!” She said. I rolled my eyes playfully, even though she couldn’t see me, and snorted.

“You might want to hold on a bit better.” I advised. She sighed, and wrapped her arms around my chest.

“Happy, now?” She asked.

“Well, I don’t want you flying off the edge!” I said, sinking low as Toothless shot off into the air. Lauren screamed, but it soon died down to her laughing. Her grip on me slacked a little as she looked around, a dopey smile on her face. “How are you liking it? The view?” I asked.

“It’s amazing up here,” She said, looking at the clouds and Hogwarts, which was far below us now. “I never thought about how beautiful everything would be from high up,”

“Well, you have a broom. You could have just used that,” I reasoned. Lauren clicked her tongue.

“I’m not thinking about the view when I’m playing Quidditch!” Lauren said. Toothless cooed. “Huh, Toothless?” She said, petting his side. “Hiccup needs to get his head in the game…”

“My head is in the game!” I protested.

“Well, if it was, you would be thinking more about the Quaffle then the view, now wouldn’t you?” Lauren said, giggling.

“Don’t judge my Quidditch skills,” Hiccup supplied. “If I got on the team, I must be doing something right,”

“Yeah, you’re doing okay for a beginner,” Lauren said, her voice deliberately soaked with sarcasm because I couldn’t see her facial expression. I smiled mischievously, and flicked my ankle. Toothless swooped into a sudden dive. Lauren gripped at my chest like her life depended on it, and yelled her head off.

“I’m a what now?” I said, laughing. Lauren’s face was buried against my left shoulder blade.

“Hiccup! You asshole!” Lauren screamed. I laughed, and Toothless issued a weird sound that sounded like laughing. The dragon promptly started spinning erratically.

“That’s not the correct answer!” I chuckled.

“Toothless!” Lauren yelled. Toothless purred. “Agh, you useless reptile!” She screeched. I laughed again, and placed my palm flat on Toothless’ head. He shot me a look and a gummy grin, and he threw out his wings. They acted like a parachute, stopping our spinning and our fall almost immediately. Lauren breathed a sigh of relief, but I still smiled.

Flicking my foot again, we climbed through the sky almost vertically.

“Yeah!” I yelled, glancing back at Lauren. There was a frantic look in her eyes, as she looked this way and that, her fingers gripping my shirt like mad. I pulled at Toothless’ harness, and he flipped upside-down in a graceful arch.

“Waaaaaah!” Lauren said in surprise.

“Say it!” I said. “Say it and I’ll make all this stop!”

“Say what?!” Lauren said. Toothless plummeted downwards.

“Say it!”

“Fine!” She said, almost screaming. “You aren’t a beginner! You’re a really good flyer and you’re Quidditch skills are amazing!”

Toothless pulled up out of his dive, and we were coasting now, Lauren gasping loudly.

“That was a bit overkill, but I’ll accept it anyway,” I said with a smirk.

“Good, because I wasn’t going to say anything else,” Lauren muttered. I raised an eyebrow at her as I looked at her over my shoulder.

“Really?” I asked. “You really want to go there?”

“Just get me back to solid ground, you jerk,” She said.

We landed back onto Hogwarts grounds, and before I could do anything, Lauren threw herself off of Toothless in the most ungraceful way possible and collapsed to the ground. She rubbed the grass and practically kissed the dirt.

“Land! Sweet land! Oh, I missed you so much!” She was crooning. I chuckled, and rolled my eyes a bit. Toothless let out a coo.

“Stop being so overdramatic,” I said. She shot me a look. I slipped Toothless’ gear off of him, and turned him back into a cat. As soon as he could, he ambled towards Lauren and nuzzled his face into hers. She laughed.

“Aw, thanks Toothless,” She said, sitting up. “See, someone doesn’t think I’m over-exaggerating,” She glared at me.

“I speak the truth and nothing but the truth,” I said, putting my right hand on my heart and the other on the side of my face, palm out. Lauren rolled her eyes at me. She got up off the floor and picked up Toothless.

“Whatever, you dork,” She said. “It’s about time for dinner, yeah?” I nodded.

“Yup, but how could you think of food after that absolutely _nauseating_ experience?” I said, mocking her. She stuck her tongue out at me.

“I can think about food anytime, anywhere. Now hurry your butt up,” She said.

* * *

**...**

* * *

 

Dinner flew by, and the whole entire Gryffindor table was practically empty the whole time. They must have a lot of things to celebrate. Not seeing the point, I sat next to Lauren at the Hufflepuff table.

“So, you and Xavier, huh?” I asked, raising my eyebrows at her as I spooned a huge serving of mashed potatoes on my plate. Lauren laughed uneasily, her cheeks flushing red as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Uh, yeah. Yup.” Lauren said. “It’s um… pretty okay, I guess.”

“Uncomfortable?” I asked, laughing. She bit into an apple.

“Very,” She said through the mouthful.

“Good,” I replied. “So, how long has this been going on and you haven’t told me?” It wasn’t that I was entirely offended that she didn’t tell me about her relationship, it was more of the fact that there was nothing to talk about and I liked messing with her.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe about seven years now? Or maybe six…?” Lauren said, pretending to stare off into space. “What do you think? It’s only been about a couple months, maybe. I don’t know.”

“Well, you don’t have to go all sarcastic on me,” I said. “And you’re supposed to know these things!”

“And how am I exactly going to remember every single detail of absolutely everything?” Lauren challenged.

“Writing it down! Duh!” I said, eating my mashed potatoes.

“Oh, like you have a journal,” Lauren scoffed, biting into the apple viciously. “Besides, nobody has time for that,”

“Everyone has time for that,” I refuted.

“Hiccup…” She said.

“Lauren…” I replied. She was looking at something really intently, a little smile on her face. This was probably a trick to get me to turn around so she could laugh at me. I stayed sitting forward.

“Turn around, and look at the Hall’s entrance,” She said. I rolled my eyes.

“You’re probably just kidding around…” I said.

“I’m serious!” She almost yelled. “Please, turn around.”

“Fine, I’ll turn around but I don’t see-” I was saying as I turned around. My eyes latched onto Jack, who was standing by the huge doors leisurely and looking at me with a smile on his face. I smiled back, then looked back at Lauren.

“Go, I’ll be fine,” she assured. I abandoned my potatoes, and forced myself to walk calmly towards him. His smile grew wider with every step I took, and he pushed himself from off the wall when I was close enough.

“Hey,” Jack said.

“Hi.”

“So, I was thinking we could go to the Room of Requirement and hang out for a little bit. You game?” Jack asked, a little bit too quickly, even for him.

“Sure, sounds fun,” I said. “Wait, you think?” I asked, laughing out loud at his expression.

“Yes, I think all the time,” He said.

“Whatever you say~” I said, heading down the corridors to the Room. Jack was following me.

Up a couple flights of moving stairs, and down a couple corridors, and soon we were standing in front of a blank marble wall. I closed my eyes and I thought about everything I wanted.

_I need a place where Jack and I can hang out… I need a place where no one can find us… I need a place where Jack and I can hang out…_

A wrought-iron gate-like door slowly bloomed across the wall, the swirling pattern twisting gracefully. I felt Jack grab my hand, and lace his fingers in between mine. A smile spread across my face. The door stopped growing, and a doorknob appeared out of nowhere. Jack grabbed it, and pulled the door open. He led me inside first, closing the door after him.

There was a gigantic couch, really, it could have served as a bed if you were seriously tired, and this _huge_ T.V. right in front of it, with a shit-ton of movies and games and music. And then there was a coffee table, stacked basically to the ceiling with snacks and soda and _cookies_. Holy hell, the cookies.

Without even knowing it, I was walking towards the plate filed with the desserts. I plucked one off of it, and took a bite. My eyes closed and I held back a moan. Just as good as they were when mom made them. I opened my eyes, and Jack was laughing at me, taking a bite of his own cookie that was in his hand.

“They’re still good,” I said, a smile crossing my lips.

“Were they ever bad?” Jack asked, his shoulders shaking a little as he chuckled at me. He let go of my hand, only to wrap his arms around my waist. Before I could do anything…

Our lips met. My hands slowly came up and went around his neck, playing with his hair. The taste of chocolate dominated everything, it just made everything that much sweeter. There was a massive swarm of butterflies fluttering restlessly in my stomach, making me stand on my toes a bit and kiss Jack a bit harder. And then he pulled away slowly. _Crap. Did I do something wrong?_  

“I made the team,” He said quietly, a smirk making its way onto his face. All my fear melted easily as I laughed and rolled my eyes.

“I know that,” I said bluntly. I kissed him again. “And congratulations,” I breathed, pressing our foreheads together lightly.

Jack started walking, his arms still around my waist and pulling me along with him. I laughed a bit. He pressed a feather-light kiss on the corner of my lips. I tugged on the hairs on the back of his neck a little. He turned around a little, so now I was the one walking backwards. He rubbed our noses together in an eskimo kiss. I laughed again.

“What are you-?” I started to ask, but my knees buckled and I was falling backwards. I cringed, waiting for the hard impact that never came. Instead, I fell back onto the ginormous couch, Jack on top of me.

He moved a bit, straddling my lap and moving his hands to either side of my head. He looked down at me, his blue eyes twinkling like mad. I blushed. He stooped down and kissed me, lightly at first. My hands somehow found his chest. It was amazing.

And then I felt his tongue licking my lower lip, almost shyly. I gasped at the action, and he took advantage of that. His tongue was in my mouth in moments. Gods, it felt good. Our tongues battled for dominance almost lazily, not caring who won, but if it matter… Jack was winning. Winning by a landslide.

It was way too hot. The swarm of butterflies in my stomach beat their wings angrily. Jus the feeling of… _everything_ was perfect in every way.

And then I realized… _oh my gods, his tongue was in my mouth_! This was going way too fast!

“Mmm,” I moaned, pushing him lightly and breaking the kiss.

“Something… wrong?” Jack asked, breathing hard. I had to blush again.

“No… yes?” I said uncertainly. “Don’t you think this is moving it a little too fast?” I asked. Jack’s eyes widened.

“Shit…” He said, sliding off of me and sitting down on the floor next to the couch. “Sorry Freckles,” he mumbled.

“I-I-I mean, I didn’t say I didn’t like it…” I said, scooting down to sit next to him.

“Heh, good,” Jack said. “But you’re right. There’s plenty of time for that later.” He cupped my cheek lightly and pecked me on the lips. Then he moved away, a mischievous smile on his face. “Now, I bet you can’t beat me in Just Dance 4!” He said.

“You’re on!” I yelled laughing.


	23. Halloween On Valentines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy early valentines day (i mean, singles awareness day). enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Three: Halloween On Valentine's

Days were busy. All four of them had Quidditch practice, plus they had to do homework. There was barely enough time to sleep! Weekends were a breath of fresh air. Usually, there were no practices, no homework, no expectations. Lauren, Xavier, Hiccup and Jack would hang out then, being idiots and not caring who saw, and just being themselves, Toothless tagging along from time to time.

It was exceptionally hard for Hiccup and Jack to keep their relationship under wraps. Of course, Lauren and Xavier knew and they didn’t care. And obviously, Hiccup and Jack didn’t care about what all the other people would think, but it was still nerve-wracking. Yes, they would kill to come out of that _damn metaphoric closet_ , but neither of them felt particularly ready to do that at the moment.

And, because of this, it made Valentine’s Day super complicated. 

* * *

 

“Lauren… please tell me you called off Plan B.” Xavier pleaded.

“Why would I call it off?” Lauren asked, looking at him innocently and flipping her hair off her shoulder. Xavier rolled his eyes quickly.

“Because,” Xavier said, “they are going out now. We don’t need to meddle anymore.”

“There’s always room for meddling…” Lauren said, a sweet smile gracing her lips. Xavier glared at her blankly. She tsked. “I’m just kidding. Dude, lighten up. Of course Plan B is a total bust now.” Xavier sighed in relief.

“Oh, thank the Lord,” He said,

“Thank the Lord about what?” Jack said, a smile on his face as he walked toward them. Hiccup was behind him.

“Nothing,” Xavier said. “So, what are you guys going to be doing on Valentine’s Day?” He asked, batting his eyelashes at the two. Jack blushed slightly, and rolled his eyes. Hiccup just laughed.

“What are _you_ doing Valentine’s Day?” Hiccup refuted, making a face at Xavier.

“I have no idea what you’re talking-” Xavier tried to say.

“Lauren, what are you two doing for Valentine’s Day?” Hiccup asked, looking at Lauren. She blushed.

“Uh, I don’t know. Nothing I guess.” She replied in a small voice, not looking at any of them. Hiccup gave Xavier a satisfied smile.

“I knew you two were together,” Jack said with a smile. “We should go on a double date. Just sneak out of here and go do something!”

“Hey, isn’t there a trip to Hogsmeade on Valentine’s Day?” Hiccup asked, hooking his arm around Jack’s cautiously. Jack just looked at him and smiled, the joy in the simple gesture unadulterated.

“Yeah, we should totally go to Hogsmeade,” Lauren said. “Madame Pudifoot’s is going to be packed though…” Xavier coughed loudly, and Hiccup snorted.

“Who said anything about going to Madame Pudifoot’s?” Jack asked.

* * *

Valentine’s Day came and took everybody by storm. Breakfast that day was absolutely brutal. It was almost animal cruelty, really, how people made their owls carry gigantic stuffed animals five times their size to give to their loved ones. But the owls managed, and none died, so that’s a good thing.

“Man, I’m super happy you didn’t get me one of those,” Hiccup muttered, smiling at Jack as a super fluffy white bear holding a heart floating by their table.

“It’s not the end of the day yet…” Jack whispered.

“Oh god, I gave you an idea,” Hiccup muttered, slapping his forehead lightly. Toothless clambered on the table, jumping up and trying to get some of the tired owls that fluttered past. “Toothless~ Knock it off…” Hiccup whined. The black cat shot him a look and jumped off the table. The cat circled around Jack’s feet.

“ **When are you going to mark him**?” Toothless asked Jack innocently. Jack’s eyes widened, bending down to look at the cat that was under the table. Jack _swore_ the cat was smirking.

“W-what?!” Jack asked.

“ **You know… you humans usually give rings to the people they have strong affection for**.” Toothless said, unaffected by Jack’s obviously flustered state.

“He already has the necklace…” Jack mumbled, straightening up. Hiccup looked at him curiously, his hand coming up and fingering the cold snowflake that was under his shirt.

“What about my necklace?” Hiccup asked, blinking at Jack. His boyfriend shot him a smile.

“Nothing,” Jack said. “I’m glad you’re still wearing it though,”

“Like I would do anything else with it,” Hiccup said, nudging Jack’s side and rolling his eyes.

“ **Okay then, when are you going to mate with him**?” Toothless asked. Jack flinched, almost as if he was having a mini-seizure, and coughed hysterically. One hand was in his hair, pulling at it harshly, the other was on the table. An unmistakable dark shade of red bloomed on Jack’s cheeks.

“Jack?” Hiccup asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“You’re cat’s the devil…” Jack said quickly in between a cough. Hiccup laughed.

“Drama King…” Hiccup muttered, sipping his orange juice a bit.

“Why…? Why would you even ask that?” Jack wheezed after he was done with his coughing fit. Toothless sat up a little straighter, a pompous air to his look.

“ **He is my rider. I have a right to know**.” Toothless said.

“Oh, of course,” Jack muttered.

“Dude, who are you talking to?” Xavier asked, sitting down across from them. Lauren plopped down next to him.

“Toothless…” Jack said. Both of their eyes widened for a second, but then Lauren relaxed.

“I might as well expect the unexpected when I’m around you two.” She said, rolling her eyes and picking up a little sliver goblet in front of her. As her fingers came in contact with it, it filled with pink lemonade. She took a tentative sip.

“You should always expect the unexpected!” Jack said evilly, laughing maniacally. Hiccup rolled his eyes and nudged him in the ribs.

“Turn the crazy down, Frosty,” Hiccup said, sarcasm leaking out of every syllable. “You’re scaring some first years,” Yes, some runts they called first years were looking at Jack with a weird expression, almost scared, and they were all holding either some chocolate or a small teddy bear. Jack looked at the runts, then back at Hiccup, a wicked smile spreading across his face.

“Your face is scaring them, Freckles,” Jack replied. Hiccup opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it abruptly and pursed his lips together. “I win, I mean, officially,” Jack said cockily.

“Aw… you already have pet names… how cute….” Lauren said under her breath. Hiccup snorted. Jack just rolled his eyes. Xavier laughed out loud, making everyone look at him. Then he looked back at them, as if to say, “ _do you have a problem_?”

“Uh, for your information, these are nicknames, not pet names,” Hiccup said, his cheeks flushing a bright red. Lauren looked at him sympathetically, her bottom lip jutting out a little.

“Whatever you say, Hiccup,” She said.

“Why are we wasting time?” Xavier asked suddenly. “We could be over there by now!”

“I need to get my staff!” Jack said, hopping up from his seat. He was about to take off running, but he hesitated a bit. He grabbed Hiccup’s wrist, dragged him up, and then started walking with a purpose out of the Great Hall. Toothless followed them.

“You know, I have legs. I can walk perfectly fine,” Hiccup said a bit dryly as he was being dragged down the halls. Jack looked back at him, and flashed a pearly white smile.

“I know,”

“Then can you let me go?”

“I’ll think about it,”

Hiccup groaned.

* * *

** Jack’s P.O.V **

Up some stairs, down some halls, around a few corners and… ha! Gryffindor common room. I turned around swiftly, Hiccup’s wrist still in my hand, and we were centimeters apart. I smiled at him.

“Wait for me?” I asked.

“Like I have anything else to do,” Hiccup replied. I rolled my eyes, and placed a quick kiss on his nose. Hiccup blushed like mad. _Why was he so adorable? Well at least he’s mine now…_ Toothless let out a loud “ _meow_ ” and I pulled away.

I let go of his hand and slipped through the portrait, after muttering “A _Midsummer Night’s Dream_ ” to the Fat Lady. Up more stairs and I raced to my room. I snatched my staff from the corner of my bed and flew back to the portrait, well, because I could.

Hiccup was waiting in the hall, looking around with a little smile on his lips, Toothless rubbing the length of his body on his shins and purring loudly. I looked at the two for a second and laughed through my nose. What an unlikely pair…

“Are you going to stand there, or…?” Hiccup said.

“Yes, I’m just going to stand here, and there’s nothing you can do about it,” I said back, putting one hand in my pocket, the other hold my staff and placing on my shoulder. Hiccup looked at me, his green eyes shining with an unspoken challenge. I matched his gaze. And then he rolled his eyes, and crossed his arms in front of him.

“Lauren and Xavier are probably waiting for us,” He said. I laughed, and brushed the hair out of his eyes.

“Eh, they can wait,” I said, leaning closer to him. He pressed a hand on my chest.

“Jaaaaack~” He whined. Toothless cooed. I poked my boyfriend’s nose.

“Fine, fine…” I said. We started walking back down the stairs. “I’ll get you later…” I muttered.

“What was that?” Hiccup asked. I wasn’t really sure if he was pretending that he didn’t hear or not, so I just grinned at him.

“Nothing,” I said, letting the curved edge of my staff drag across the rails of the stairs, a frost path laying in its wake. My other hand came out of my pocket and slowly made its way towards Hiccup’s hand. They touched, and Hiccup flinched a bit. I looked at him confused.

“Sorry,” He muttered, his fingers inching towards mine. I smiled softly, and held on to him like my life depended on it. Toothless cooed.

“ **Don’t take it to heart. Hiccup’s not the one for public displays of affection** ,” Toothless informed.

“Yeah, I get that,” I said, rolling my eyes playfully. Hiccup squeezed my hand lightly, his shoulder shaking slightly with laughter.

“I always knew that you were crazy,” Hiccup said, “but now you sound like it too.”

“It’s not my fault your cat is a chatterbox,” I said shrugging. Hiccup broke down and laughed.

* * *

“If you don’t have a signed permission slip, you can’t go to Hogsmeade, everyone!” Tooth called, flitting round everyone’s head and checking to see the signatures of parents and guardians. Some students rolled their eyes, stowing away their slips back into their pockets, while others greeted the professor with smiles. We greeted her with a smile of course, just for the fact that she will make us pay if we did otherwise.

“Have fun at Hogsmeade, you four!” Tooth called at us. I waved my hand at her.

“We will!” I called.

“And… what kind of ‘fun’ are you guys talking about?” Xavier asked. “You weren’t very clear about that…”

“Remember when I jumped out the window?” I asked, smiling at him, my staff on my shoulder once again. Xavier nodded slowly.

“Yeah, and you scared the crap out of me…” He muttered.

“That kind of fun.” I assured. His eyes went wide.

“Oh no…” He said. Then he turned to Hiccup. “And… you’re riding Toothless… huh?” The freckled boy just smiled, an oddly mischievous smile that he never wears… unless he was flying. _God, how I loved that smile_ … Toothless circled his rider’s ankles for a moment, before walking off in front of us again.

“This is going to be…. Epic!” Lauren said, hopping a little as she walked. I rolled my eyes at her. “But… we are grabbing some Butterbeer, right?” She asked.

“Maybe after,” Hiccup said. “The Three Broomsticks is going to be crowded right about now,” We all looked at him. “What? It’s just logic; everyone would want to stop for some Butterbeer once they get into town.” We continued to look at him. Then I laughed, and wrapped my free arm over his shoulders.

“You are _such_ a Ravenclaw,” I said, laughing a bit.

“I’m taking offense to that remark,” Hiccup said, jabbing my side with his finger. I recoiled, taking my arm away from him and laughing.

“Aw, Hic’s offended…” Xavier cooed. Lauren laughed.

“Oh my god, you guys are such idiots…” She said, rolling her eyes.

* * *

“How ‘bout we do something fun?” Jack said, bouncing a bit.

“I thought we were going to do something fun?” Hiccup said. Jack rolled his eyes.

“Well, I thought of something funner.” He said.

“Is funner even a word?” Lauren remarked.

“I don’t care. It’s a word to me!” Jack said. “And don’t get on my grammar!”

“She just did! Waddaya gonna do about it?” Xavier retorted. Jack’s eyes narrowed. He twirled his staff neatly, the curved end stopping in Xavier direction.

“ _Frosti Maximanum_!” Jack said triumphantly, a blast of frost shooting out of his staff and hitting Xavier’s upper arm. Xavier stumbled back a bit, clawing at his now-frozen shoulder.

“COLD! COLD! COLD! COLD!” Xavier was yelling. “Take it off, take it off!”

“Jack!” Lauren and Hiccup said-slashed-whined at the same time. Jack chuckled, and walked over to Xavier. He placed his hand lightly over the ice, and it melted instantly.

“I still want to know how you do that…” Xavier muttered, rubbing his numb shoulder. “Great, now I probably won’t feel my shoulder for a couple years…” He remarked. Lauren knocked his hand away from his shoulder, and punched him. Hard. “WHAT THE HECK, WOMAN?!” He said, clutching his arm once more.

“Well, you can feel it!” She said, smiling proudly.

“Now look who’s the idiots…” Hiccup said smugly. Jack wrapped his arm around Hiccup’s waist, and tugged him along as he walked.

“C’mon guys, this is going to be awesome…” Jack said. Lauren and Xavier followed him, Toothless still in front of them. The cat would look back from time to time… and it wasn’t because he was checking that Jack’s hands were where they were supposed to be. Not at all (LIES!).

* * *

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Lauren said warily.

“Yeah, it’ll be awesome!” Jack said.

“But the Shrieking Shack is haunted…” Xavier said.

“Well, it was haunted.” Hiccup corrected. “But the house has been silent for years now.”

“Thank you for summing _that_ up,” Lauren said, rolling her eyes. “What if the ghosts are just… territorial, and they get mad when people go in there?”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” Jack said, sliding through the gap of the barbed wire fence that surrounded the Shrieking Shack. He gestured to the others to follow him. “C’mon, what’s going to happen? We’re wizards, their just… spirits. It’s not like they’re going to kill us.” Xavier sighed.

“He’s not going to stop until we go with him,” He mumbled to Hiccup and Lauren, and he made his way through the gate. Lauren and Hiccup shared a nervous look, but they too slipped through. Toothless just waltzed under the gate as if it wasn’t even there.

The Shrieking Shack was dark and sinister, to say the least. The place looked like it was going to fall apart with a strong enough gust of wind. But, it was still standing after all these years, so it must be mostly stable. The closer the four and he cat came to the Shack, the more they felt like they shouldn’t be there. They kept going anyway.

Jack tried the door when they came to it. The almost-black wooden door swung open easily. They all looked at each other, and made their way inside.

The inside was just as bad, maybe even worse. Tapestries were torn to shreds, the cushions on all chairs and couches were torn as well, the stuffing covering the floor. There were random holes in the wall, some no bigger than a fist, others large enough to stick your head inside… you know, if you were brave enough to actually stick your head in a hole in the wall. The flooring was ripped; you could tell at one point it had carpet, but that too was ripped to the high heavens, and you could see the bare floorboards that were underneath.

Decay wasn’t nice to the house. The railing of the staircase looked rotten and it wobbled slightly, funny thing was that no one was touching it. There were small holes in the floor as well. Not big, but deep enough to see what was going on in the floor below the current one.

“I… I don’t think ghosts could do this…” Xavier said. “Can they?” He looked at his companions. No one answered him.

“Poltergeists, maybe?” Lauren suggested.

“Look at these gashes,” Jack said, looking at the deflated couch. The cushions were slashed four times… “It looks like an animal did this…” Jack trailed off.

Toothless stuck by Hiccup’s side, sensing his rider’s fear and unease. The freckled teen looked through a hole in the floor, clearly seeing the level below them. Then he stumbled back, trying to muffle a gasp.

Because he saw something move below them.

It wasn’t a trick of the light. It wasn’t him seeing things. Hiccup saw someone… or something… walk across the room.

“Hiccup?” Jack asked, rushing to his side.

“There’s… there’s someone else here…”Hiccup whispered. “I… I saw them… on the floor below us.”

“We should leave before they figure out that they have company,” Xavier said, a bit rushed. Well, he didn’t want to be in trouble, or killed, or eaten… or worse. He started to turn away to leave when Lauren grabbed his arm firmly, keeping him in place.

“I don’t know about you, but I wanna know who would be in the Shrieking Shack on Valentine’s Day,” Lauren said. “Well, besides us, but that doesn’t count,”

“You think there are others?” Hiccup asked. “Like, more than one?”

“When there’s one, there must be more,” Jack said. “C’mon,”

They all crept down the stairs, surprised that they didn’t give out from under them or betray their presence with a creak.

When it came to stealth-mode, the four and the cat got an A++.

Immediately after the stairs, there was a wide-open doorway. Hiccup pressed himself to the wall next to it, and the other followed suit, Toothless in between Jack and Hiccup.

“-you think that is true?” A deep Russian accent said.

“Because I’ve been seeing it, mate, with my very own eyes!” A thick Australian accent said.

“But that’s impossible, I mean, there are strict dragon policies with the Ministry, and we did thorough checks-” a feminine voice said.

“I’m not crazy,” the Australian said.

Hiccup looked at Jack, eyes wide.

“ _North_.” Jack mouthed. Hiccup nodded gravely, and turned back to listen.

“We’re not saying you are crazy, Bunny. This is just highly unlikely-” North said.

“But it happened!” Bunny said, the exasperated tone in his voice unmistakable. “If someone has a dragon, it’s a serious issue! To the school, to the safety of the students… As Guardians, we’re supposed to protect them, right? Have them have a good upbringing? A dragon out there… leaving it could be the equivalent to a mass murder!”

“Calm down!” The woman, Tooth obviously, said. “We aren’t even sure if it’s out there!”

“Well, I know it’s out there. And when I see it again, you better believe that I’ll do something about it. With or without your help.” Bunny said harshly.

Hiccup gasped silently, and without even looking at one another, they all rushed back up the stairs. Not even pausing, they all bolted out of the Shrieking Shack, Hiccup scooping Toothless in his arms and clutching at him desperately.

The five were far away now, and Hiccup was shaking, a tear streaming down his face. Xavier and Lauren had worried expressions on their faces. Jack… oh, was he _mad_.

“Hiccup…” Jack said, pulling his boyfriend into a hug gently. Hiccup shrugged him off, and clutched Toothless tightly.

“You better not tell me that it’s okay,” Hiccup said. “Because it isn’t. They know… they fucking _know_ …”

“I wasn’t even going to say that,” Jack said.

“They’ll… they’ll kill Toothless… _no_ …” Hiccup said, burying his face into Toothless’ black fur.

“I’m not exactly just going to sit here and let it happen, you know,” Jack said. Hiccup looked up at him, his green eyes rimmed with red. “They won’t lay a finger on him as long as I’m here,”

“I don’t think it’ll make a difference,” Hiccup said. “They know… they’ll… do investigations, and they’ll figure out that Toothless’ appearance is Charmed and… they’ll kill him…”

“If they can’t find him, they can’t kill them,” Lauren said, walking up next to Hiccup and rubbing his arm. “We could hide him, that way the professors wouldn’t know where to look.”

“The Room of Requirement…” Hiccup said, a miniscule spark of hope in his watery eyes. “We… we could make it unplottable, and so that no one could go in. That way… Toothless could stay in there and not have to worry about anything,”

“That’s my Ravenclaw,” Jack said, smiling a bit. Hiccup smiled back, and rubbed Toothless’ head softly.

“You’re going to be okay, bud,” Hiccup whispered to the cat.

“ **I do not think he gets that I would fight my hardest if they ever caught me** ,” Toothless said, purring unnaturally loud. Jack chuckled.

“That’s what I’m saying…” Jack muttered.

“Enough with talking to the cat!” Xavier said. “No offense, Toothless,” He amended when Toothless shot him an irritated look.

“We should go see what samples Honeydukes has out,” Lauren said. They all agreed, and walked into the sweetshop.

Hearts were everywhere, the organ and the shape. The colors pink, red, and white covered just about everything. The shop was surprisingly empty for a Hogwarts’ visit day, but they were mostly at Madame Pudifoot’s or the Three Broomsticks anyway.

The candies were… unique to say the least. There were beating gummy hearts that had “ _you’re vital to my survival, Valentine_ ” on the top of it. Hiccup snorted, and let Toothless down on the floor. The cat walked over to a container that had fish-flavored lollipops. Hiccup grabbed a couple for his best friend. There were sugar Cupids that shot an arrow at you if you tried to eat it (seriously, who would want candy that would hurt them? That would be one weird fetish…). There were also heart-shaped blood lollipops for vampires.

Let’s just say that they left with the fish lollipops that Hiccup bought. He stowed them away in his pocket.

“Well, Xavier and I were going to go to the Three Broomsticks,” Lauren said. “Wanna come?” Hiccup and Jack shared a quick look, and both shook their heads.

“Nah, we’ll meet you there later,” Jack said, slipping his hand into Hiccup’s.

“Have fun without us!” Hiccup called as they walked away. Lauren looked back, blushing like mad and glaring at him, but didn’t say anything back. The two burst out laughing. Toothless cooed loudly.

“So… are we gonna..?” Jack said.

“Yeah,” Hiccup replied, smiling.

* * *

Two minutes later, they were both flying, Hiccup on Toothless and Jack with his staff.

“Hey, I’ll race you!” Jack said, shooting a mischievous smile at Hiccup. Toothless warbled at him, and Hiccup’s laughter rang through the air.

“Good luck!” Hiccup chimed, and both of them took off. Jack easily kept up with Toothless, but he didn’t really think the dragon was trying his hardest, either.

“So, is this a tie, or…?” Jack said, smiling at the two of them. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

“Yeah it’s a tie…” He said, smiling back at Jack.

Toothless did a couple tricks, including a rapid downward spiral and an upside-down summersault, before they both landed a ways away from Hogsmeade. Hiccup quickly took off Toothless’ gear, and Jack rubbed Toothless’ head gently, making the dragon coo. The coo turned into a meow when Hiccup did the spell to change Toothless without warning. Jack looked at his boyfriend and smiled. They sat on the ground, side by side, Toothless wandering away a bit and giving them space.

“Well, this turned out to be a really shitty Valentine’s Day,” Hiccup mumbled, letting his head rest on Jack’s shoulder. Jack looked at him bizarrely before wrapping an arm around his side.

“How so?” Jack questioned, resting his cheek on the top of Hiccup’s head. He sighed.

“The professors know about Toothless, and there’s a possibility that-” Hiccup was starting to say when he was cut off by Jack pulling him closer, making him yelp.

“We’ll deal with it,” Jack said softly. Hiccup twisted and looked up at him.

Jack said ‘we,’ as in, Hiccup wasn’t in this alone. He should have seen it before, he was just too scared. Hiccup was mostly on his own for everything, since his father was preoccupied most of the time, and seeing how he didn’t really have friends. But now he had people who had his back, who would stick with him through thick and thin.

Gods, Hiccup was an idiot for just realizing that now.

“Mmkay,” Hiccup muttered, a lazy smile coming across his lips. He leaned up, and Jack met him halfway, resulting in a soft and quick kiss.

And suddenly… it wasn’t so soft and quick. Jack’s hand unconsciously slid down to Hiccup’s waist and pulling the freckled teen closer to him. Hiccup turned slightly, and his hand cupping Jack’s face. The white-haired boy tilted his head, deepening the kiss. Hiccup smiled into it, his other hand coming up and tangling itself in Jack’s hair. Jack’s hand, the one that was on Hiccup’s waist, found itself sneaking under Hiccup’s shirt, the thumb moving slowly across the now-exposed skin. Hiccup gasped a bit, but didn’t pull away; something ran up his spine, and Hiccup really didn’t know if it was pleasure or ecstasy ( _but, seriously, what was the difference between the two_?). Jack’s tongue slowly came into play, licking Hiccup’s bottom lip, before Jack moved away, leaving Hiccup slightly disappointed ( _who was he kidding? He wanted to yank Jack back down and continue where he left off_ …) Jack just shot him a mischievous smile, his usually pale cheeks flushed.

“Is this Valentine’s Day still shitty?” Jack asked, trying to keep the chuckle out of his voice for as long as possible. Hiccup narrowed his eyes, glaring at his boyfriend almost viciously.

“Fuck you,” Hiccup replied, his heart not in the usage of profanity.

“When?” Jack asked, leaning down and meaning to catch Hiccup’s lips with his again… when Hiccup shoved his face away and gracefully slipped out of Jack’s grip.

“Oh no…” Hiccup said. “If you think you’d get anything after that, you’re seriously mistaken,” Jack groaned, and threw himself on the cold ground, flinching a bit, but not sitting back up.

“Freckles~~~…” Jack groaned. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

“We should go find Xavier and Lauren,” Hiccup said.

“You aren’t their parents…” Jack said, a little grin on his face as he stood up reluctantly. Hiccup smiled at him wryly, and started to walk away, when Jack caught his wrist and pulled him into a hug. “Happy Valentine’s Day…” Jack said quietly. “Sorry I didn’t get you anything…”

“That’s alright, I wasn’t expecting anything anyway,” Hiccup said, telling the truth. He never got anything special on this worthless holiday before, he didn’t think it would have mattered this year either. “Besides,” Hiccup said, “I have all I need right here.”


	24. Rivalry At It's Best

Chapter Twenty-Four: Rivalry At It’s Best

Toothless cooed, and nudged his nose against Hiccup, who was fast asleep by his side. Said boy moaned, and flipped to his other side. With a huff, Toothless rolled his eyes and nudged his rider a bit more forcefully than before.

“Hmm?” Hiccup asked. Toothless chuckled at him. And Hiccup flipped out. “Waaah?” Hiccup said, rolling over again, his hands moving wildly and his eyes wide. He stood on his feet quickly, and took in his surroundings. He fell asleep in the Room of Requirement. Again.

“Oh gods…” Hiccup said, running a hand through his hair. “Why do I keep doing that?” He asked himself, exasperated. Toothless shrugged and gave him a gummy smile. “Thanks for waking me up, bud…” The freckled boy said, scratching the black dragon’s head affectionately.

“Hiccup?” A voice asked. Both of them froze, not daring to move. “Hiccup? Are you in there?” Hiccup bent down slowly, and grabbed his wand from his boot, his eyes wide.

“Toothless… get behind me…” Hiccup breathed, easily being heard by the dragon. Said creature slunk behind him silently, tail swishing over the floor in a graceful arc.

“Hiccup, c’mon…” The voice said. Hiccup was about to open his mouth, when a door bloomed on the wall and was flung open. “Hiccup! What the heck man?” Lauren said, flinging her arms out. “You know you heard me!”

Hiccup let out a sigh of relief, and stowed his wand back into his boot. Toothless purred loudly, bounding over to the girl.

“Hey, Toothless~” She said, letting herself lean on top of the dragon’s head, petting a spot near his ears lightly. “You fell asleep with him again, didn’t you?” Lauren asked, a small smile on her face as she looked at Hiccup. He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled a bit.

“Yeah…” He said, laughing at himself. “It’s so not my fault though. Toothless forced me to stay.”

Both Toothless and Lauren looked at him, their expressions identical: “ _Really_?”

“Hey, it was you’re fault and you know it,” Hiccup said, wagging his finger accusingly at Toothless. The dragon warbled at him. He rolled his eyes.

“I’m lost,” Lauren said. “What happened?”

“He kept stealing my boot last night,” Hiccup said, trying to glare at Toothless, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “And then he made me chase him for it.”

“Aw… Toothless wouldn’t do that…” Lauren said. It was Hiccup’s turn to glare at her.

“My boot’s still damp from his spit. Do you wanna smell?” Hiccup said, making to take off his boot. Lauren held up her hands, cringing.

“I’m good!” She said. “I’ll… believe you on this one,” Lauren laughed. “Toothless, you knew Hiccup needed his sleep!” The girl scolded. Toothless cooed and nuzzled her face. “No, Toothless, I’m serious! Now the match won’t be fair now!”

“Don’t worry, the match will be plenty fair,” Hiccup said. “You should be worrying about yourself.” Lauren scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“Are you saying you’re better than me?” She said.

“Technically, no,” Hiccup said with a smirk.

“Jerk,” Lauren said, laughing. “And I thought you weren’t full of hot air.”

“Whatever,” Hiccup said. “May the better Quidditch team win.” They both nod. “’Kay Toothless, we gotta go…” Toothless whined slightly. “I know bud, but we’ll be right back, we promise. Right Lauren?”

“Of course! We could have a celebration party afterwards, just the four of us and Toothless!” She said, a bright smile on her face. Toothless’ expression softened, and Hiccup and Lauren both slipped out of the Room.

“What time is it?” Hiccup asked.

“About ten. That’s why I was looking for you,” Lauren said.

“Dang…” Hiccup said, running a hand down his face. “Well, today’s going to be interesting…” He looked at Lauren with a smirk.

“Yeah,” She said, laughing. “I just don’t wanna see how you and Jack are going to be like next week,”

“It’s not going to be baaaaad…” Hiccup said. “It’ll be…”

“Entertaining,” Lauren finished. Hiccup just shook his head and laughed. “Oh, hey, I got you something from the Great Hall.” She reached into her pocket and tossed him an apple. “Thought you might need something to eat before we cream you out there.”

“Yeah, it’ll make us much more appetizing,” Hiccup said, sinking his teeth into the fruit.

The two wondered over to the Quidditch field, and had to go separate ways to get to the Team Locker Rooms.

“Hey, good luck out there,” Hiccup said, as they both of them hugged.

“You too,” Lauren muttered.

“Aww… how cute…” Josh, the Ravenclaw Captain said. They broke away, and Hiccup just stuck his tongue out at him. “Wait, I thought Cannonblast and that Xavier guy was going out.”

“They are,” Hiccup said. Lauren slapped his shoulder lightly, and jogged away from the two of them.

“Home-wrecker much, Haddock?” Josh joked.

“We’re friends,” Hiccup said, playfully glaring at Josh.

“It all starts out that way,” Josh said with a wink. They turned into the Locker Room, and Hiccup pulled on his team uniform swiftly. Then, he reached into his locker and pulled out his broom, a Nimbus Two-Thousand and One. He tossed it in between his hands as if it weighted nothing (because, in reality, it was pretty heavy) and waited by the exit for the others to finish changing.

He thought about Toothless, and how the poor dragon was cooped up in the castle unbeknownst to everyone else. He thought about the night before, where Toothless stole his boot in order for him not to leave. Hiccup couldn’t say no to his best bud. It just wasn’t possible.

“Hey, Hiccup…” Someone whispered. Hiccup froze, then squinted at the person who was walking towards him.

“Jack, you dork, you’re not supposed to be here!” Hiccup whispered urgently, walking through the tunnel that lead to the field to meet his boyfriend halfway. Jack just flashed him a smile, and slipped his arms around his waist.

“What? I can’t wish you good luck?” Jack asked, placing a feather-light kiss on Hiccup’s nose. “Like you’ll need it. Don’t tell Lauren, but Hufflepuff sucks. It’ll be an easy win.” The white-haired boy whispered. Hiccup just rolled his eyes and wrapped his skinny arms around Jack’s neck, the broom going along with (because there was no way Hiccup was putting it down).

“Thanks,” Hiccup said, giving Jack a real kiss, not just a peck on the nose. “Shouldn’t you be… you know, finding a spot in the stands?” He asked.

“Nah, Xavier’s got that covered,” Jack said.

It was only then did Hiccup notice that Jack was wearing a blue and silver scarf, with two blue streaks of paint under each eye.

“You like it?” Jack asked. Hiccup smiled like an absolute dork, unable to form words. “Don’t be surprised! I have to support you out there!”

“This is all a rivalry with Xavier isn’t it?” Hiccup said slyly. “You have money on this game, huh?” Jack rolled his eyes.

“Have a bit more faith than that, Frecks.” Jack said confidently. He nuzzled his face into Hiccup’s neck, placing a soft kiss there. “I really did this just for you,”

“Okay, I believe you,” Hiccup said, trying to calm down the damn blush that crept over his face. “You better go, before someone sees you…” Jack reluctantly moved away from him, and shot him another smile.

“Fine,” He said. “Have fun out there, okay?”

“I’ll do it for you,” Hiccup said with a smirk. Jack turned on his heels and ran out, making his way to the stands.

* * *

Two very different pep talks later, one from each team, and the game was ready to begin. The Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws gathered in the middle of the field, each team forming a half circle. The rules were read, and the Captains shook hands. And someone blew a whistle.

Then all the players were up in the air, some fighting for the Quaffle, two at opposite ends of the field, two higher than all the rest and looking around frantically, and four with sticks that looked like mini-baseball bats in their hands.

Two players, one from opposite teams, were bumping into each other roughly, the one clad in yellow holding onto the Quaffle. Hiccup smiled, and flew past all the other players easily. He navigated himself perfectly above the fighting players, and he hooking his ankles together and tightened his grip on his broom with his knees. Then he flipped upside down, hands not even on the broom.

Gasps from the crowd were everywhere, plus a distinguishable hoot from Jack.

Hiccup reached his arms down, and plucked the Quaffle out of the Hufflepuff’s hand. The two that were fighting were too astonished to say or do anything as Hiccup raced back to the opposite end of the field, flipping himself upright halfway there. Then he threw the Quaffle into the lowest of the three goal posts.

“Ten points for Ravenclaw!” The commentator yelled.

Hiccup laughed as they all circled up again in the middle, most of the players looking at him in awe, even some of his own teammates.

Hiccup suddenly felt screwed. He didn’t do any of that in practice. That wasn’t one of their plays. He took everyone by storm and surprised everyone. It could have been an absolute disaster… _Well, it wasn’t, so suck it up and get your head in the game!_

The Quaffle was up again, and it was in Ravenclaw possession. Josh held onto it firmly, and was heading toward the goalposts. The Hufflepuffs were having none of it, and were trying everything they could to keep Josh away from that end of the field.

“How many more tricks do you have up your sleeve, Hiccup?” Lauren asked, flying right up beside him. There was a smile on her face, but he didn’t let that fool him; there was a competitive twinkle in her hazel eyes and Hiccup knew it was anything but good.

“Don’t know! How many points do I have to score until you all give up?” Hiccup shot back. Lauren rolled her eyes, and shot off. Hiccup was right behind her.

Lauren raced towards Josh’s side, not even bothering to slow down for a second. She rammed right into his side with a huge grin. Shocked, Josh dropped the Quaffle, and Lauren easily intercepted it. But she wasn’t out of the woods yet. She didn’t care about all the other blue-clad flyers out there, all she cared about was Hiccup, and he was basically close enough to poke her side.

“Want to end it so soon?” Hiccup called to her.

“So we can win, yeah!” Lauren said.

“Whatever floats your boat!” Hiccup yelled. And then he was ramming into her, a lot lighter than what everyone else would have done, but Hiccup never did have that big of an aggressive side to begin with. The small knocks seemed to do the trick as Lauren became increasingly unstable on her broom.

“Hiccup!” Lauren yelled, pushing at him with her free hand as he tried to ram into her again. “Quit it!” She was laughing.

“It’s all a part of the game, Cannonblast!” Hiccup said, laughing.

“Don’t call me by my last name!” Lauren said, ramming into him harshly and catching him by surprise. He swerved to the side, and she flew off. Hiccup tried to catch up to her, and even debated whether he should pull on the tail of her broom… _wait, wasn’t that a penalty if he did? Ugh… so many rules_ … Lauren chucked the Quaffle and it flew into the highest goal post easily.

“And now, we are even,” Lauren said, flying past Hiccup and flipping her hair over her shoulder sassily.

“We’ll see about that…”

* * *

As it turned out, Hiccup and Lauren were just as stubborn as each other, and both refused to lose. Goal after goal after goal was shot, and points were counted, and even after two hours of non-stop friendly competitiveness, the teams were tied.

Hiccup and Lauren dominated the field for each team, somehow the Quaffle always getting to one of them, and the other tagging along and sabotaging them so they could drop the Quaffle.

It was quite entertaining to both Jack and Xavier.

They sat side by side, unlike most of the fans, who decided to sit with only their-team-supporters. Jack was clad in all blue, with the blue streaks of paint under his eyes. Xavier was the total opposite. He was dressed in yellow and black, yellow paint under his eyes (not really, though. Being a Metamorphagus meant he never had to fiddle with face paint). They joked around, and laughed when Lauren and Hiccup flew past them, screaming and insulting each other as they did so.

“Man, they are killing it!” Xavier said, leaning forward in his seat, his elbows on his knees, as he watched the game.

“Oh, stop looking at Lauren’s ass…” Jack said, rolling his eyes playfully. Xavier threw a punch at Jack’s arm, but he blue-clad teen dodged the blow.

“Stop looking at Hiccup and I’ll stop looking at Lauren,” Xavier shot back with a little smirk of his own. Jack’s face grew increasingly red, clashing brilliantly with the blue on his cheeks.

“Never mind, then…” Jack mumbled.

The match got progressively more aggressive as it wore on. Lauren and Hiccup were tired, yes, but they never refused to give up. Their teammates just trailed around them, not complaining that they were being Quaffle-hogs, but laughing at them as they yelled and jeered at each other.

That was, before the Bludgers decided to make their appearance.

For the whole entire match, those demon-possessed Bludgers were hiding, doing their own thing, and not even paying attention to the players. The Beaters, who were supposed to hit them with their bats, looked around haphazardly and mostly watching the match as it played out.

But now, the Bludgers came out, and were suddenly flying towards the two most active players. The Beaters saw this, and rushed over there immediately, but both Hiccup and Lauren and the Bludgers were too quick for them. Hiccup and Lauren were too into their own little world to notice all that much…

“HICCUP!”

“LAUREN!”

Hiccup swerved, narrowly missing the Bludger that was coming directly toward him. It changed direction and left quickly, terrorizing some other player. Lauren, however, wasn’t quick enough. With a cry of pain, the Bludger rammed into her upper arm with such force that she fell off her broom and was plummeting to the ground.

“NO!” Hiccup screamed. He threw the Quaffle in a random direction, Josh being there and catching. Then, with the practiced ease that only a year of riding a dragon could produce, Hiccup swooped down and caught Lauren, grunting a bit as his broom dipped a couple feet. “Lauren…” Her eyes were scrunched up, her mouth screwed up in a grimace.

Hiccup quickly landed on the floor, ditching his broom and laying Lauren on the ground carefully. She groaned.

“Oh gods... Lauren!” Hiccup said.

“H-hiccup…” Lauren replied groggily.

“No, you can’t go in there!”

“She’s my girlfriend! Move!” Xavier roared, and in less than a second, he was collapsing on the ground next to Lauren, his eyes filled with worry. “Lauren…”

“You’re sympathy won’t help her, boys,” Madame Pomfrey replied stiffly, ushering them away from Lauren.

“Is she going to be okay?” Xavier asked quickly.

“She’ll be fine. A shattered shoulder and collarbone is easy to fix.” Pomfrey responded.

Lauren was taken to the Hospital Wing.

A few minutes later, Ravenclaw won the match, 250 to 100.

* * *

“Nice match, Hiccup,” Jack said, shaking his shoulder lightly. Hiccup smiled weakly.

“Yeah, it was… it was pretty fun…” Hiccup replied.

“You’re worried about her, aren’t you?” Jack asked knowingly.

“Yeah,”

“Don’t worry, me too.” Jack said. Xavier was already in the Hospital Wing, at Lauren’s side. “Hey, why don’t we go get Toothless and go see her? She’ll be happy to see him!” He suggested, taking his hand off Hiccup’s shoulder and hopping up and down excitedly. Hiccup just bit his lip.

“I-I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” Hiccup said, glancing at Jack and then back down at his feet.

“Look, I know you’re scared and everything, but one little trip isn’t going to spell out ‘INSTANT DEATH’ for him, okay?” Jack said, looking into Hiccup’s eyes hopefully. “It’ll be fun. I promise.” Hiccup smiled.

“I think Toothless is getting a little stir-crazy in there, anyway,” He said.

“That’s the spirit!” Jack cheered. They made their way to the Room of Requirement.

The door bloomed quicker than it ever did, and as soon as Hiccup and Jack walked into the Room, Toothless tackled the two of them. They laughed, trying to push the huge dragon off of them. Toothless cooed, and looked them in the eye, and then he licked them, right in the face. Jack cringed, while Hiccup flailed.

“Toothless!” Hiccup said, trying to keep the laugh out of his voice. “That is so gross!” Toothless laughed at him.

“Toothless… did you see the match?” Jack asked. Toothless sat back on his haunches, his acid green eyes serious.

“ **No. But what has happened?** ” Toothless said.

“Lauren… she, uh… got hit. She’s in the hospital wing.” Jack said. Toothless’ eyes widened, and anxiety built up in his stomach.

“Do you wanna go see her, bud?” Hiccup asked.

“ **What kind of a question is that?** ” Toothless remarked, shooting Hiccup an almost-baffled look. Jack laughed.

“That’s a yes, then?” Jack asked.

“You know, I’m kind of jealous,” Hiccup said, giving Jack a wry look. “It’s not fair that you can understand Toothless and I can’t.”

“ **There is nothing to be jealous about** ,” Toothless said. “ **In all honesty, he should feel sorry for me** ,”

“Well, that’s a bit harsh,” Jack muttered to Toothless, then turned to Hiccup. “He’s being mean to me, Hiccup, make him stop!” He whined. Hiccup rolled his eyes and laughed.

“If he’s mean to you, you probably deserved it,” Hiccup said, fishing his wand out of his boot and shooting the spell at Toothless. The dragon shrunk into a cat instantly. “C’mon, let’s go see Lauren.”

They waked out into the hallways, and Jack caught Hiccup’s hand in his. Hiccup didn’t flinch this time, and instead a little smile grew on his face. They walked close together, their hands in the back of them and Toothless walking next to Hiccup. The freckled teen looked up at Jack, and almost laughed.

“Are you ever taking that face paint off?” Hiccup said. Jack smiled at him, and squeezed his hand.

“Nope,” He said. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

* * *

The Hospital Wing was quiet when the three walked in. Only one of the beds were occupied, and Lauren was laying on top of it, her eyes half-closed and her mouth twisted in a dopey smile. Toothless ran over to her instantly, jumping onto the foot of her bed with ease. Xavier, who was sitting right next to her, looked around and saw Hiccup and Jack walking in.

“Hey, guys,” He said lightly, petting Toothless as the cat padded by. The cat walked towards Lauren’s face, and she lifted her uninjured arm and petted his head.

“H-hi Tooooothless…” She said, laughing a little.

“Hey Lauren,” Hiccup said. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I got hit by a double-decker bus and then got dragged a few feet,” Lauren mumbled, smiling a bit.

“She’s uh… a bit high off the healing potions Pomfrey has her on,” Xavier said.

“She would have been a lot worse off if Haddock here didn’t save her,” Madame Pomfrey said, bustling in and standing at Lauren’s head.

“It was a pretty impressive save,” Jack said, swinging their still-connected hands slightly. Hiccup blushed, rolled his eyes, and looked away.

“She’ll need lots of sleep, so you all need to get out and let her,” Madame Pomfrey said sternly.

“Aw… but friends make everything better,” Jack whined. “Having us here could make her heal better!” Pomfrey rolled her eyes.

“Get out of my Hospital Wing, Frost. I don’t need to see you when you aren’t almost dying.” She shot back harshly.

“I’m better when I’m not dying,” Jack said with a smile. Hiccup tightened his grip on his hand.

“Don’t antagonize her, Frosty,” Hiccup said.

“But I have to, Freckles,” Jack replied.

“Finally together, then, huh?” Pomfrey inquired, crossing her arms across her chest and smiling satisfactorily at them. The two looked at her with wide eyes. “I knew it was going to happen.”

“ByeLauren,seeyoulater!ComeonXavier,let’sgo!” Jack said, quickly. They started walking out of the Hospital Wing quickly. Toothless gave Lauren’s cheek a little lick, and then he hopped of the bed and scrambled over to Hiccup.

“I know how to get people out of my Wing,” Pomfrey said, smiling. Then she got to work on Lauren.

* * *

“You can’t say anything mildly suggestive!”

“You can’t give me a _reason_ to say something mildly suggestive!”

“You can’t check me out!”

“You can’t show me up!”

“You can’t win!”

“No, you can’t win!”

“WILL YOU TWO PLEASE KNOCK IT OFF?” Xavier yelled. “God, you guys are so annoying!”

“Jealous much?” Jack said, wrapping his arm around Hiccup’s waist and pulling him close. Hiccup laughed lightly, looking a Jack as if he was crazy (but in a good way).

“I’m never jealous,” Xavier said, rolling his eyes.

“You’re always jealous,” Jack countered.

“Good luck with the match, guys,” Hiccup said, placing a kiss on Jack’s cheek. “May the better team win!”

“We will!” Xavier said. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

* * *

Lauren was sitting in the stands, looking completely outrageous. Under one eye, she had blue streaks, under the other, red. She had one mitten of each color on her hands, and even temporarily dyed a streak in her hair for both teams. Most of the girls looked at her bizarrely, but she couldn’t care. Her boyfriend and her two best friends were out there, and she was going to support all of them.

“’Ello, Cannonblast,” Professor Bunnymund said, sitting next to her. “Getting’ into the festivities, eh?” He said with a smirk.

“My friends are out there,” She said with a smile. “Gotta cheer them on, right?”

“That’s true,” Bunnymund said. “Plus, you could wipe the other team’s color off when they lose,” Lauren laughed. “So, who do you think is gonna win?” The professor asked.

“It’s hard to say,” She said. “Gryffindor is really good, but Ravenclaw has Hiccup, and no one knows what the heck he’s going to do. It’s really just a toss-up from here.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Bunny said with a smile. “Though, Gryffindor has a better Seeker,”

“But they could still lose if the Ravenclaws are super ahead,” Lauren reasoned.

“Gryffindors aren’t that dumb,” Bunny shot.

“I know two of them, Professor,” Lauren said, “and they are that dumb.”

“Don’t go stereotyping now!” Bunny said with a laugh.

The game had already started, and it was easy to see both team’s tactics. Jack was right next to Hiccup the whole time, seeing how he was good enough to keep up with him (he probably volunteered for the position, but let’s skip that fact now), Xavier was always near Angel or Josh, who happened to get the Quaffle when Hiccup didn’t, and Hiccup was up to his shenanigans again.

Now, Josh had the Quaffle, flying down the field like a madman. Xavier was on his tail, as well as the other Gryffindor Chaser. Jack said behind, staying next to Hiccup.

“Seriously, dude, I don’t even have the Quaffle, get away from me,” Hiccup said.

“You know you love the attention…” Jack said.

“No, I’m really, pretty extra sure that I don’t,” Hiccup said smiling a bit. “Come on, people are starting to stare…”

“This is a Quidditch game, Hiccup, of course people are going to stare.” Jack said with a knowing smile.

“Hiccup!” Josh yelled, suddenly flying towards them as fast as he could. Hiccup smiled. They passed each other, and in a blur, Josh passed the Quaffle into Hiccup’s possession. Most of the players were confused, but not Jack. He was already on Hiccup’s tail.

“Well, you guys think you’re sneaky!” Jack said, ramming into Hiccup harshly, trying to make him drop the ball-like figure.

“Stop it!” Hiccup said in replied. “Dammit, you’re gonna bruise me!”

“I’ll bruise you if you want…” Jack said lowly, and a blush washed over Hiccup’s face.

“You ass…” Hiccup mumbled, spinning on his broom and transitioning into a downward spiral easily. Jack laughed, as he followed him.

“Sports really bring out the sailor in you, doesn’t it?” Jack taunted, seeing how he was getting under the freckled teen’s skin.

“I have no idea,” Hiccup countered. “Never really played sports!”

“Well, I’m sure I can think of other ways to make you swear!” Jack said. Hiccup choked, and then had a coughing fit, not once letting go of the Quaffle or letting his eyes close long enough to lose control.

“I told you not to say anything mildly suggestive!” Hiccup yelled.

“But that was highly suggestive!” Jack said with a smirk. “So technically that doesn’t count!”

Hiccup scowled, his eyes narrow, and he shrank closer to his broom. He shot off, leaving Jack behind. He raced to the goal posts and flung the Quaffle into one of the three goal posts without holding back. A bell rang

“Ten points to Ravenclaw!” The announcer yelled.

“Technically, _that_ counts,” Hiccup said, shooting Jack a confident smirk as he flew back to the center of the field. Jack hovered there for a moment, the sight of Hiccup with that over-confident smirk on his face.

He couldn’t help himself when he thought: “ _I wonder what else could make him smirk like that…_ ”

* * *

Lauren was cracking up. Xavier kept on making faces at her as he flew past, and seeing Hiccup blush like that only meant one thing: Jack was at it again, talking dirty to the freckled boy. Bunnymund was looking at her as if she was a madman, but he didn’t say anything.

“Hi, Lauren,” Professor Tooth said, fluttering by. “Enjoying the game?” She asked.

“Y-yeah…” Lauren said shakily as she wiped a tear off her face. “My friends… are complete idiots.”

“I think everyone’s friends are idiots,” Tooth fake-whispered to Lauren. She tried to stifle her laugh, and Bunny didn’t even try to hide the offended look on his face.

“Are you talking about me?” He asked, his voice sounding harshly, but in reality he wasn’t angry at all.

“Of course not, Bunny,” Tooth said kindly. He glared at her, before looking away.

“Who do you think is going to win, Professor Tooth?” Lauren asked, watching the game intently. Tooth flitted around slightly, before fingering her chin and thinking about it.

“It all depends, I guess.” Tooth said with a shrug. “The three of them aren’t really trying, are they?” She said, pointing her finger at Jack, Hiccup and Xavier who were zooming around the field, following the Quaffle but never really interfering.

“Their probably just being idiots…” Lauren said, leaning forward a bit in her seat. “Ah, nope. They’re doing something.” She said, an air of realization in her voice. “Hiccup’s trying to get over there, to get the Quaffle, but Xavier and Jack are blocking him from getting over there.”

“ _Oh_ ,” Tooth said.

* * *

“Guys! Get away from me!” Hiccup yelled, swerving this way and that, trying to get out from in between Jack and Xavier.

“No!” Xavier yelled.

“Never!” Jack said. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

He bit the inside of his cheek, thinking about how he could give two stubborn people the slip. Most of his tricks were already used up, and they knew what he was going to do, or predict it anyway.

“What are you going to do about it?” Xavier challenged, a grin spreading across his face.

“Probably something stupid!” Hiccup replied cheekily, trying to stall. He needed a plan… he needed a plan… _Gods, why was improv so hard when you’re up in the air?_

“You’ve already done that!” Jack yelled back at him.

_Thinkthinkthinkthinkthinkthinkthinkthinkthinkthinkthinkthink…….. yes!_

“Then something crazy!” Hiccup said.

The blue-clad teen threw himself against Jack’s side, hitting hard and moving the both of them. Jack moved instantly to retaliate, just like Hiccup thought he would. Just as he was going to ram into Hiccup, he let his broom drop, leaving Jack no one to ram himself into but Xavier. The two crashed, hard too, but Hiccup knew they were going to be fine. Yes, they were a jumbled mess of brooms, robes, and people, but they would be fine. Hiccup laughed, and shot off to help his team.

Coming in at full speed, Hiccup scared the Gryffindors, the one other Chaser and the two Beaters, into stopping, getting them off Angel’s tail, who had the Quaffle. She made to throw it to him, but he shook his head quickly.

“Go!” He yelled. She shot off, while Hiccup and Josh raced along with her, making sure no Gryffindor could even come close to her. Xavier and Jack pulled themselves together before they could hit the ground. They had just enough time to look around blearily before…

“Ten points to Ravenclaw!” The announcer yelled. Xavier and Jack slumped over on top of their brooms, their eyes set in a playful and vengeful glare.

The Chasers reassembled in the middle of the pitch, ready for the next round. Jack’s face was set, and he was ready to do this thing.

“Aw, is little Jackie mad?” Hiccup said, pouting. Josh and Angel laughed. Jack glared, then flashed a deadly smiled.

“Is little Hiccy too cocky?” Jack said, jutting out his bottom lip for a fraction of a second. Xavier guffawed, while Hiccup grew red.

“Is that how you’re gonna be?” Hiccup said, eyebrows raising skeptically. Jack’s expression settled into a competitive smirk.

“Apparently,” Jack said.

Madame Hooch blew the whistle and threw the Quaffle up into the air, and Jack was a blur of red and gold. He darted upwards before anyone could react, caught the Quaffle almost gracefully, and shot off towards the goalposts. Hiccup blinked rapidly, and flew off after him. Everyone else followed.

From there, it was a scramble for the Quaffle. Jack was untouchable, and the other red-clad Chasers fought off the blue-clad Chasers as best they could. Xavier and Josh were fighting furiously, while the other Gryffindor Chaser fought off Angel and Hiccup. The latter slipped away from the fighting, and sped up a little to try and catch up with Jack. He knew it was fruitless, but he had to try, didn’t he?

Jack could see it, the goalposts were right in front of him. No one was in his way. He let out a joyful whoop, and tossed a look over his shoulder. There was two pairs of fighting flyers, and then Hiccup was racing towards him. Jack smiled, and threw the Quaffle easily into the goalposts. The Ravenclaw Keeper was too slow, and a bell sounded.

“Ten points for-!” The announcer was saying.

“Whoa!” Hiccup screeched, unable to stop his broom in time. He almost rammed himself into Jack’s side, but the white-haired boy moved at the last second and threw his arms out, catching Hiccup and effectively stopping his broom. Hiccup looked up at Jack, and smiled. Their position was a little awkward, with Jack’s arms wrapped around Hiccup’s shoulder and side and Hiccup’s arms pressed against his chest. But guess what? The time and the place was lost to the two of them as they stared at each other, blue borring into green as if the world was going to end and that was the only thing they wanted to see.

“Nice save by Jackson Overland!” The announcer said. Hiccup flushed, and Jack let go of him quickly.

“Uh, thanks or stopping me,” Hiccup said with a little smile, showing his slightly crooked teeth. Jack’s stomach flopped, and he returned the smile easily.

“No problem,” He replied.

* * *

“Whoa!” Bunny exclaimed. “What happened?” Lauren just sat there, almost frozen in her seat. Her jaw fought to fall to the center of the earth, and her eyes were just as wide as the sun as she stared at her two secretly-dating best friends who were currently hovering in mid-air and holding onto each other.

“I… I don’t know…” She replied shakily. _Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap_ ……. _What the hell are they doing? I thought this was a secret! Holy shit, what if everyone figures it out?!_

“Lauren, are you okay?” Tooth said, placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder. She brushed it away almost instantly, trying not to be rude.

“Oh yeah I’m perfectly fine,” She said without pausing for air in between. The two professors looked at her, both knowing that everything was most definitely not ‘fine’ but they decided to not press the matter.

Lauren let out a breath of air that she didn’t even know she was holding in when the two separated. Hiccup was red in the face, but nothing else seemed to be particularly wrong. She could hear the crowd mumbling about what had happened, but the talk died down when the Quaffle came back into play. The Chasers on both teams fought furiously, the Quaffle going up and down the field without necessarily making it to the goalposts. Everyone was on the edge of their seats; both teams were in it to win it now, and nothing was getting in their way… except the other team.

“It looks like the Seekers found the Snitch!” The announcer bellowed excitedly. Everyone’s attention turned to the Seekers, who were dishing it out way above the Chasers. They were neck-and-neck, trying to pull ahead of the other, their hands outstretched. Their fingers were itching to come into contact with the cool, smooth, gold surface of the Snitch.

Lauren leaned forward in her seat, her eyes watching the Seekers greedily. The Chasers were still fighting for the Quaffle down below, after all, the game wasn’t over yet! And then the red-clad Seeker stopped suddenly, her hand in the air triumphantly. There was a deafening roar from the crowd, and Lauren cheered with them.

“Gryffindor wins!” The announcer screamed. The players landed onto the floor, and all shook hands with smile on their tired faces. They were laughing, and then the teams split up and went to their locker rooms.

* * *

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

I walked out of the locker room, my hair wet, but at least I was clean. There was a swarm of die-hard fans near the Gryffindor locker rooms, and I glanced over quickly.

“Hiccup!” Someone yelled. I turned, and Josh was running towards me. I plastered on a smile.

“Hey, Josh!” I said. “Good game, huh?”

“Yeah, it was pretty fun.” Josh agreed. “What happened out there?”

“We… played a game of Quidditch?” I answered slowly, a bit confused. Josh just rolled his eyes at me.

“No, bookworm,” He said. “I mean what happened with you and Overland.” My eyes widened and I swear my heart leapt out of my mouth before I caught it and swallowed it back down. I coughed uncomfortably.

“Oh, he, uh… juts stopped me. I would have crashed into him, my broom was acting a little weird.” I replied quickly. I pursed my lips, my face looking like a little kid who got caught and wanted the minimal amount of punishment possible. Josh just looked at me, skepticism written plainly across his face. I expected to get yelled at, but I didn’t.

“’Kay bookworm.” Josh said. “Get your broom check out by Madame Hooch. She’ll know what to do.”

“Okay, thanks,” I said. He walked away. I let out a sigh, and thanked the gods that Josh wasn’t the one to get into other people’s business.

“Hey Hiccup,” Xavier said, jogging towards me. I nodded, and smiled.

“Hey Xavier,” I replied. “Nice game out there,”

“You too,” He said, smiling. “I didn’t know you could be so evil.” Xavier said with a smirk.

“Eh, me neither,” I said with a shrug and a light laugh. “Don’t you have, like, a Gryffindor party to go to or something?” I asked, trying to not sound rude. He smiled.

“Yup, but Jack and I are going to sneak out in the middle of it.” He said. “We’ll meet up with you and Lauren in the Room of Requirement, okay?”

I smiled wider than before. “Yeah, sounds cool. See you guys there,”

“See ya,” He jogged off. I walked off, a smile on my face.

* * *

**...**

* * *

 

“Lauren~” I said, popping up behind her. She jumped, and wheeled around. She smiled, and hugged me.

“You freaking scared me!” She said. I hugged her back. “You guys did super amazing on the pitch! Sucks you didn’t win though,” She let go, and smiled brightly. I shrugged.

“Eh, it was pretty fun, I don’t care if we win or not.” I said, smiling back.

“That’s the spirit!” Lauren said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Where’s Jack and Xavier?”

“Where else?” I asked, rolling my eyes. “Gryffindor party.”

“Makes sense,” Lauren said. “Let’s get dinner really quick, yeah?” I smiled and nodded, and we walked to the Great Hall together.

Dinner was quick, just something small to eat before leaving. People were chatting excitedly about the match, and some of them looked at me with admiration or awe. I could hear what they were thinking: “ _how can a dork like that be so good on a broom?_ ” If they had the guts to ask me, I would answer them with one word: Toothless.

“We’re having our own party tonight,” I mumbled to Lauren as we were walking out of the Great Hall. Lauren brightened considerably, she smile contagious.

“Awesome!” She said.

Even from two floors below, we could hear the Gryffindor party in their common room. We rolled our eyes and went to the Room of Requirement. A simple black door inked its way onto the wall, and I opened it. Lauren walked inside first, me following after her. She ran up to Toothless, and petted him frantically and cooing things at the huge dragon.

There was a huge and fluffy couch with a T.V and a table of food in the Room now, but Toothless didn’t mind it all that much.

“So… what’s the occasion?” Lauren asked.

“To a brilliant fail of a game?” I suggested.

“It was not a fail!” Lauren protested.

“We lost, didn’t we?” I said, playing the part of the sore loser quite easily. Lauren shot me a look. “Kidding! See? Just kidding… I actually wanted it to be the four of us together, but Xavier and Jack will be here later.”

“Oh, alright then,” she said, flopping down on the couch. I sat down next to her, and Toothless curled up on the floor in front of the couch. Lauren flicked through channels until we decided on watching some old episodes of Spongebob. Toothless was mesmerized by the T.V, and Lauren and I laughed when Toothless would get into the show.

Time passed unbelievably fast, and pretty soon Xavier and Jack stumbled into the Room of Requirement.

“Hey guys!” Xavier said. Lauren smiled, and Toothless looked at the two of them (it was the first time he tore his eyes away from the T.V).

“Hey,” I said back. “Congrats for the game!”

“Your team was better than ours.” Jack said, sitting down next to me. “It’s was just that our Seeker flipped on accident and caught the Snitch.”

“Uh huh, sure,” I said rolling my eyes at him. “You’re just saying that to help my self-esteem.” Jack started poking my side.

“Don’t be like this~” Jack said. I squirmed, trying to bat him away but it wasn’t working. Jack’s fingers kept jabbing away at my flesh. I hated being ticklish. A lot.

“Stop!” I managed to choke out between laughs and yells. Jack still poked me, and the feeling of his fingers in my side gave me the chills (the good kind) but also left me trying to get away from his assault.  

“Believe me!” Jack said, smiling viciously.

“Fine! Fine! I believe you!” I said. Jack stopped his attack, and I flopped back onto the couch. A stupid smile spread across my face, and I clutched my sides. I rested my head on Jack’s shoulder. “I hate when you do that…” I mumbled.

“You know you love it,” Jack said, smiling and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Xavier and Lauren sat on the couch, as close Jack and I were. Toothless walked around the couch and placed his head on the back of the couch, directly in the middle of us two couples. Jack gave Toothless’ head a pet.

“So, what movie are we watching?” Xavier asked.

“Something scary?” Jack suggested.

“That sounds like a plan,” Lauren chirped.

“I have the perfect movie. Its super cool,” I said, hopping up off the couch, and searched the pile of DVDs quickly before finding the movie and popping it in. “And it’s based on a true story,”

The Haunting In Connecticut started playing almost immediately. It was an interesting movie, to say the least. A boy recovering from cancer, mopping floors with water but having it turn into blood, and finding eyelids in a box… what else could you ask for in a scary movie? Having it be a true story only made things worse.

“Oh…. My god…” Lauren breathed when the boy found the box with the eyelids. “Why would you just… what…?”

“I would have been out of that house eons ago!” Jack said.

“They have nowhere else to go.” I said.

“I’d rather live in the streets than a morgue house,” Xavier said.

At least the movie had a happy ending. The boy got rid of the ghosts in his house, and he survived cancer.

“And that was based on a true story?” Jack asked, blinking as the credits rolled by on the T.V.

“Yup,” I said.

“What kind of a warped twisted world do we live in that things like that actually happen?” He asked incredulously.

“A pretty warped and twisted one if you ask me,” Xavier said, and I could tell he was about to laugh.

“So, how’d you guys like it?” I asked.

“I’m going to have nightmares for a week,” Lauren said bluntly, “and they’re going to be all your fault, Hiccup,” I smiled at her.

“Thanks, I’ll take full responsibility.” I replied.

“Can we watch a different movie?” Lauren asked. “I need something to get my mind off all that… _stuff_.” She said with a shudder.

“Sure, you pick,” Jack said. “But it better not be a chick-flick.” He warned. She shot him a look.

“I wouldn’t torture myself like that,” She said, walking over and replacing the DVD with a new one. “The Mortal Instruments, anyone?” She said, sitting back down on the couch. I scooted closer to Jack, our hips touching and my left leg over his right one.

“Shut up, you useless reptile,” Jack muttered, pushing Toothless’ head away from him. I couldn’t help but laugh and roll my eyes.

Shadowhunters, vampires, magic runes, The Mortal Instruments had the whole bit. There was a close-up on Jace’s face.

“Man, he’s hot,” Lauren said. We all looked at her. “What?” I looked back at the T.V.

“Yeah, he is,” I said. Lauren laughed out loud.

“Oh my god…” Xavier said, holding in his laugh.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up. What?” Jack said, looking at me now. I laughed. “That guy is hot?”

“Well, not hotter than you,” I said bluntly, rolling my eyes at him. I flashed him a wry smile.

“Yeah, I better be…” Jack said. He kissed me.

I couldn’t really focus on what happened in the movie after that.

* * *

Classes passed as stressful and stupid as they always were. Jack and I snuck around, finding an empty corridor if he were lucky, and sneaking a quick kiss between classes. Toothless hated being stuck in the Room of Requirement, I could tell. I stayed up super late with him in there and took him on a quick flight at midnight, which was breaking a thousand school rules. But Jack lent me his invisibility bracelet Xavier gave him, so I didn’t get caught. These nights were fun and risky, and I paid for it the next day, but it was definitely worth it.

That Saturday, it was the Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff match. I Charmed my scarf to change colors, from crimson and gold to yellow and black. My snowflake necklace was tucked safely under my shirt. I let Toothless come to the game with me, as a treat for him. When we got into the stands, he curled himself up by my side, and looked out into the field, almost jealously. I petted his head softly.

The match started, and I found out that Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were evenly matched. My scarf’s color changed when the Quaffle changed hands, red then yellow, yellow then red.

“Hey, Hiccup. Your scarf changes color.” Someone pointed out to me. It was one of my roommates. I smiled, trying my best to not slap him upside the head and yell ‘ _no duh!_ ’

“Yeah, thanks for noticing.” I said. He sat down next to me and petted Toothless’ side a little.

“And you found your cat,” He said. My scarf changed color again. I looked back at the match quickly. Jack was racing towards to goalposts.

“He was never really lost,” I said quickly.

“Ten points for Gryffindor!” The announcer yelled. The stand erupted into cheers.

“YEAH! GO GRYFFINDOR!” I yelled. Jack threw me a smile. It only made me smile more.

“Wow. Big supporter of Gryffindor, huh?” My roommate asked me. I shrugged.

“I cheer for everyone. Except Slytherrin.” I said, pulling a face.

“Got that right, but you’ve always been a big supporter of Gryffindor,” My roommate said with a laugh. He punched me in the arm. “Well, see you around, Hiccup.”

“Kay,” I said. He walked off. Well, that was off. Oh well… my scarf was yellow and black, and Toothless was alert now Oh well… my scarf was yellow and black, and Toothless was alert now, watching the game with rapt attention. Lauren had the Quaffle, and she was avoiding everyone skillfully, a smile on her face. If I had a camera, it would have been the perfect picture.

“Hello, Mr. Haddock,” Someone drawled next to me. I stiffened, and looked. It was Pitch. I gulped.

“H-hi Professor…” I said, not successfully keeping the shakiness out of my voice. Toothless tensed up, and stared Pitch down, amber and acid green eyes meeting in a harsh battle of will. Pitch looked away, and stared right at me.

“I see you finally took the dragon out of its cage,” He said, a devilish grin on his face. It wouldn’t have surprised me if he was the Devil himself.

“I-I-I d-don’t know… what you’re…” I sputtered, talking slowly.

“You _must_ know that nothing happens in this school without me knowing about it,” Pitch said, unimpressed with my lying skills.

“You’re not taking him away from me,” I said fiercely, meeting his glare with one of my own.

“And why would I do that?” Pitch said. “I have nothing to gain from that, but a dragon-turned-cat that wants to bite my head off.”

“But all the others…” I said.

“They know, they just won’t believe that a goody-two-shoes like you snuck an illegal dragon into a school and they haven’t figured it out until now.” Pitch said. “Which was very smart on your part. Building a good reputation before smashing it into a million pieces and having no one know the wiser,”

“I-I didn’t mean for all this to happen,” I said.

“Nobody means for these things to happen,” Pitch said. “Some people just make a mess wherever they go. One of them just happens to be your boyfriend.” He said, smiling that Devil’s smile. I gasped, and his eyes narrowed, as if he got what he was looking for.

“Good day, Mr. Haddock,” He said, walking off.

Toothless growled menacingly at the receding figure of Pitch. I ran my hand down, trying to calm him down. I was mad too, no I was furious! How dare he say that Jack made a mess of everything! And how the hell did he know about us in the first place? He probably spies on students for the fun of it, that sick bastard…

I tried to pay attention to the match after that, I really did. My scarf changed color energetically, and the Chasers and Beaters flitted around the field endlessly, sending Bludgers flying and ramming into each other with a vengeance. The Keepers were doing an amazing job, throwing themselves in front of every shot the opposite team threw. The game seemed to go on forever, until the Hufflepuff Seeker finally snatched the Snitch out of the air.

“Hufflepuff wins!” The announcer yelled. My scarf went permanently yellow and black, and I stood up and cheered for them.

* * *

** Jack’s P.O.V **

My blood was boiling, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the stupid match.

“Good game, guys!” Lauren called, waving at our team. I raised my hand in acknowledgement, but didn’t really answer back. She ran into the Hufflepuff locker rooms.

“Hey, Jack… you okay?” Xavier asked me.

“Nope,” I responded.

“Dude, it’s just a game,” He said.

“It has nothing to do with the game,” I dismissed. I took a shower quickly and pulled on some clean clothes. “Great game, guys,” I said, smiling a little as I walked out of the locker room.

It was kind of dark, but I could see perfectly fine. I didn’t bother putting on my shoes, and I just held them for now (have you tried to put on shoes after you took a shower with no socks? It’s virtually impossible!). I scanned the ground carefully, and saw someone sitting in the grass. I felt relieved, and rushed over to him.

“Hiccup,” I said. He turned, and smiled at me. “Are you okay?” Hiccup stood up and hugged me tightly.

“Yeah, I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be?” Hiccup said, his lips brushing my neck.

“I saw you talking with Pitch…” I said. He tensed.

“ **Pitch knows. He knows everything. Do you want me to claw his eyes out for you**?” Toothless suggested. I let go of Hiccup holding him at arms distance.

“Pitch knows?” I asked. Hiccup bit his lip and nodded. “Everything? Like, _everything_?! Damn it!” I yelled. I let him go, and I staggered back a couple steps. We’ve been too obvious. I’ve been too obvious. Now someone knows. “I’ve ruined fucking everything. _Again_.”

“Jack, what are you talking about?” Hiccup asked, moving closer to me. I just took another step back.

“We didn’t want people to know, and now someone does. Pitch’ll probably tell everyone… I’m so sorry, Hiccup. I really am.” I said. I was about to run away from him, when he grabbed my hand and laced his fingers with mine.

“I don’t care anymore,” Hiccup said, looking at me.

“ **He has never really cared in the first place** ,” Toothless chimed in.

“I don’t care about… what people think anymore. They can all go to Hell for all I care,” Hiccup said. He smiled at me. “It’s not your fault. You don’t make a mess out of everything, you know.”

“I guess not,” I said. I smiled back at him.

“C’mon, Lauren’s out celebrating,” He said, pulling me into the castle gently. Toothless walked alongside me.

“ **Did you really think he was going to leave you because Pitch knows?** ” Toothless asked.

“I didn’t know what to think, honestly,” I replied. Hiccup looked at me, about to say something, but he glanced down at Toothless, rolled his eyes at the two of us, and kept walking.

The Great Hall came closer, and I instinctively tried to pull my hand out of Hiccup’s grip. He just held my hand tighter, smirking at me.

“Hiccup, stop. What are you-?” I asked, trying to wrestle my hand back.

“I don’t care what they think anymore, Jack,” Hiccup said. “And I shouldn’t have before. I don’t need their approval. I like you, and that’s all that matters,” He pulled my hand down, causing me to lean forward, and he captured me in a kiss.

“Are you ready?” Hiccup asked, moving away slightly. I kissed his nose.

“Yeah,” I replied. Then I started walking towards the huge wooden doors. A feeling of anxiety filled my stomach, and my feet felt like they were laced with lead, but I kept on walking. I glanced back at Hiccup, and he had a worried expression on his face, but when our eyes met, he smiled. I smiled too.

Blue meeting green. That’s all I had to focus on. I love Hiccup, and I’m proud of it. And you know what? I don’t give a fuck about what everyone else thinks!

We walked into the Great Hall like nothing was out of the ordinary. We walked towards Xavier, whose eyes were almost popping out of his head. Our hands were connected, Hiccup’s nails digging into my skin a bit but I was probably doing the same to him, and on full display. I glanced at Hiccup, and he smiled up at me.

And that’s when the murmuring began. I couldn’t pick up what they were saying, but I couldn’t care less about it anyway. Hiccup and I sat side by side at Xavier’s table, and started eating. Xavier’s hair was orange at the tips, and his eyes were a dark blue. He was blinking at us slowly, as if he was in a trance.

“So, out of the closet now?” He asked, smiling. Well, he broke out of that trance pretty quickly.

“Don’t even mention that damn metaphoric closet near me,” Hiccup said, biting into a dinner roll. “I should smash it with my father’s axe,”

“You know, if it were a real closet,” I said. He looked at me with an angry expression, but then t softened when he laughed at me.

“Yes. Thank you, Captain Obvious.” Hiccup said, rolling his eyes at me.

“Yay, I’m a captain,” I said. Xavier laughed.

People talked all throughout dinner, and I knew they were talking about us. Every once in a while. Someone would look at us, either with a smile, a scowl or a neutral expression, and then turn right back and start talking. As if we didn’t know they were talking about us. God, people are stupid.

“People are going to be talking about this for the rest of the year, you know that, right?” Xavier pointed out. Hiccup smiled, then looked at me.

“Yeah, I know,” He said.

* * *

The next day, Lauren nearly tackled me when she saw me in the morning.

“You didn’t!” She was yelling in my ear as she hugged the crap out of me. “Tell me everything people are saying is true! Just tell me!”

“Depends,” I said. “What are they saying?” I asked.

“That you and Hiccup were holding hands yesterday when you went to dinner!” She said.

“Then, yes, that’s true.” I smiled at her. “Surprising, though. The truth didn’t really get that warped this time around.”

“Oh no, there were also some people saying that you two nearly fucked each other on the dining table,” Lauren said in complete sincerity. I choked.

“That did not happen!” I said.

“I know, I just like seeing you uncomfortable.” She said brightly. “But oh my gosh, guys! That’s just awesome!”

“Yeah,”

“What made you guys snap?” She asked me. We sat down, her across from me. I gave her a confused look. “You know, what made you and Hiccup… not want to keep it a secret anymore?”

“Pitch has known about us this whole time,” I said. “Hiccup realized that he didn’t care about what people thought, and so did I. End of story.”

“You guys are complete dorks, do you know that?” Lauren asked me. “You shouldn’t have cared about what people thought in the first place!”

“I know!” I said. “I get it _now_! Don’t make me have a guilt trip about it!”

“Guilt trips aren’t fun,” Hiccup said, plopping down next to me. I poked his cheek.

“But of course they aren’t!” I said. People looked at us. I shot them a look that meant instant death. They walked away quickly.

We all ate quickly. Xavier was either still asleep or in class, studying for a test he forgot all about. Lauren rushed away, going to her first class, and it left Hiccup and me.

“I forgot my bag in my room,” I said, banging my head against the table.

“And I left Toothless in my room,” Hiccup said, copying me. I smiled at him, and we sat up. We started walking out of the Great Hall.

“Fucking faggots…” I heard someone mumble. My blood boiled. I looked around, and I found the person who said that: a tan-ish guy with gray eyes and brown hair. He lifted his cup to his lips. I dug my wand out of my pocket quickly.

“ _Frosti Maximanum_ ,” I whispered. The spell froze the guy’s cup onto his tongue. I smiled, and continued walking. A girl squealed, and you could hear someone freak out, but it sounded muffled. I laughed.

“What did you do?” Hiccup said, looking at me as if I was a convicted criminal.

“Froze that guy’s cup to his mouth,” I said, laughing.

“Why?!” Hiccup said, looking back at the guy.

“You didn’t hear what he said?” I asked. Hiccup shook his head. “He called us faggots.” I said bluntly. Hiccup’s eyes narrowed, and his hands clenched into fists momentarily.

“Let’s go to class,” Hiccup said, turning on his heel and walking down the hall.

The guy’s tongue didn’t defrost. I heard he went to Madame Pomfrey and she didn’t know what to do with him. I just laughed when I heard about it, because only Xavier and I know the counter-spell.

* * *

Dinner was a flurry of excitement. But the Slytherrins were the rowdiest of all. The Hall was decked out on green and silver. They couldn’t seem to stop chattering.

Tonight was the night that the Quidditch Cup was announced, and everyone know who won it. Yes, the victorious, undefeated Syltherrins. I swore they cheated or something, because there’s no way that those slimy snakes could naturally beat everyone with so many points. Steroids. I blame it on steroids.

Food appeared out of seemingly nowhere, and we all stuffed out faces. There was everything imaginable but the dessert was vanilla cupcakes with silver frosting and a green snake frosted on top. I didn’t eat dessert.

Now, it wasn’t really the Slytherrins that I was mad at. I have to admit, they aren’t really that bad. They won fair and square. It was more because… the games were so much fun, and the season was over. I liked the adrenaline rush of tons of people watching my every move, I liked it a lot better than feeling invisible.

The matches were fun, but it’s gone now, and the Slytherrins were crowned victors.

I looked around, and found Hiccup. He waved at me after taking a bite of the Slytherrin cupcake. He had silver frosting on his upper lip. I laughed, and waved back.

Hiccup was such a dork, and better yet, he’s my dork, in public now too.

I thought of all the times he was up in the air, on that field, looking at people with a clear plan in mind: “ _What’s a creative way to stop you_?” You wouldn’t think Hiccup was the one to get all competitive, not by his looks or his demeanor, but once you got him going, he will fight to the death.

It was rivalry at its best, and now I had to wait a whole entire year to see that look on Hiccup’s face again.

I looked back at Hiccup, who was trying to wipe away the frosting from his lip. He was missing it completely. _Well_ , I resolved, _it would be worth the wait, at least_.


	25. Trouble

Chapter Twenty-Five: Trouble

The Slytherins were a lot more arrogant that before, but that was only because they won the Quidditch House Cup. I got a lot more stares thrown my way, even with Jack by my side, but I ignored them all. Some of Jack’s fangirls gave me death glares, and I smiled back at them. _Hey, if you got haters, you must be doing something right!_

I really expected my team to ditch me once the season was over. Not that I’m a pessimist or something, I just thought they wouldn’t want to deal with a nerdy gay guy outside of the obvious reasons. But they really shocked me. I guess our team was like a family, in an odd, weird, twisted sort of way. Angel would punch my arm lightly or give me a hug whenever she saw me, and Josh would ruffle my hair and call me ‘bookworm’ whenever we passed in the halls. It was kind of nice to have people care, even if you didn’t have anything to do with them anymore.

Like this one time, at lunch. Angel and Josh walked up to me and Jack and sat down. They smiled at us, and Angel looked like she was bubbling with joy.

“Hey bookworm,” Josh said. “We wanna ask you something.”

“Alright, shoot,” I said.

“Do you wanna be on the team next year?” Angel asked, her eyes almost hidden because her smile was so big.

“You want me on the team next year?” I asked, blinking rapidly.

“No duh!” Josh said.

“You were amazing this year, and for being a first time flyer, it was amazing.” Angel said. “We might even win next year!”

“So, waddaya say? On the team?” Josh asked, hopeful.

“Uh… yeah! Yeah, sure, definitely!” I replied.

“You’ll still have to try out, but I don’t think it would matter.” Angel said. “No one can top you, anyway.”

“Thanks!” I said.

“Well, we gotta go, but see ya later!” Josh said.

“Okay, bye!” I said. They got up and walked away.

“You think they’re dating?” Jack asked, smiling at the two of them.

“Eh, most likely.” I said. “I’m on the team next year… that means I got another shot at beating you!” I yelled, pointing a finger at Jack.

“You’ll never defeat us!” Jack argued.

“You’re the one who said that you guys won on accident!” I said.

“Oh really?” Jack asked. “Welp, I was lying. Whoops.”

“You’re such a dork.” I said rolling my eyes.

“Look who’s talking,” Jack retaliated. I pushed at his shoulder lightly, and he batted me away.

Jack and I usually snuck out every night to go flying. Toothless was getting stir-crazy in the Room of Requirement, and I’m sure Bunnymund has gotten increasingly suspicious of everyone. The night flights (yes, it rhymes, deal with it) were fun. Jack always insisted we race, and when he lost, he would say some stupid excuse and “I call a rematch tomorrow!” That was fine with me though. I actually liked seeing him get mad. His face and ears got red, and it looked like he wanted to punch something with the way he clenched his hands, and that scowl he gets when he’s really pissed off and he tries to hide it…

Huh? What was I talking about?

Okay, whatever. I just lost my train of thought. Way to go, Haddock.

Anyways, Lauren’s been… well, a little strange, to be honest. She’s had this far-off look about her, and she’s off into her own little world until we have to snap her back to attention. Then she gets this smirk on her face, like she knows that something’s going to happen, but she doesn’t want anyone to know about it. It’s… kind of freaking me out a little bit.

“What are you planning?” I asked her. She just blinked at me, as if she had no idea what I was talking about.

“Huh? I’m not… planning anything…” She said, looking away and hiding behind her hair.

“You’re terrible at lying, you know that, right?” I said with a blank expression.

“I will have you know that I am not terrible at lying, thank you very much!” She said. “And look who’s talking, Mr. I-Can’t-Hide-Anything-From-You-Loor!”

“And you obviously suck at changing to subject,” I said flatly. “You can tell me,” I insisted. Seriously, it was getting on my nerves. What exactly is she trying to hide.

“I’m pregnant, okay?” she said, finally looking me in the eyes.

I just stared at her. My mouth was practically hitting the floor and my eyes were bigger then plates.

“L-Lauren, I’m…” I started to stutter. “I don’t know whether I should say ‘congrats’ or ‘I’m sorry’ but… why would you-? When did you-? You and Xavier-? Oh my god…” I said, shutting myself up.

And then she started laughing. I looked at her as if she grew three other heads. She really couldn’t breathe.

“I was kidding,” She said. “See, told ya I could lie!” I glared at her. “And I’m offended! You really thought I was pregnant?!” She grabbed my arm and shook me a little.

“It’s not that I thought you were, you just looked so serious…” I mumbled. She laughed.

“I took an acting course when I was little.” She said.

“Then that’s not lying,” I said. “That’s acting, and therefore completely different.”

“Well, whatever. Acting, lying…” She said with a wave of her hand. “Practically the same thing,” She gave me a smile.

“Seriously, though. What have you been thinking about?” I asked. “And don’t try lying, because I know that you’ve been spacing out about _something_.”

“I’ve just been thinking a lot lately…” Lauren said with a little sigh.

“Thinking about being pregnant with Xavier’s love child?” I asked, which earning me a punch on the shoulder and a death glare from Lauren.

“No,” She said. “I’ve been thinking about… fate, I guess.”

“Fate?” I asked. “You’re telling me, that you’ve been spacing out about fate?”

“Think about it!” She said, turning towards me and moving her hands animatedly. “Nothing is a total coincidence! It’s like, there’s this cloth of destiny or whatever, and we’re all woven into it! And when our destinies cross, we can a whole different pattern!”

“I’m still stuck on ‘cloth of destiny.’” I said seriously. She huffed, and gave me a look. “Kidding, kidding.” I defended. “I… guess I know what you mean. With the whole destiny-fate thing.”

“I mean, what are the odds, of all four of us spontaneously becoming friends and hooking up all in one school year?” Lauren said loudly. I rolled my eyes.

“The odds are pretty big actually,” I said.

“I’m done with you,” Lauren dismissed, a smile coming across her face briefly. I laughed.

Everything seemed to be looking up. But… the gods hate me, a lot actually. I think my past life gave them hell, and now they’re still trying to make me pay for it or something. I wish they would stop it. It wasn’t getting anyone anywhere.

It was one of those nights where Toothless, Jack and I went flying. It was a beautiful night: full moon, clear sky, every star shining brightly overhead. I marveled at it silently as we flew, and as I looked up, Jack would fly by and plant a kiss on my cheek. I usually rolled my eyes at him, but the gesture was sweet. Toothless enjoyed the fact that we were out of the Room of Requirement, and he took advantage of that, doing all he needed to in order to wear himself out and put his heart at ease. Jack kept up with him with a little trouble, but Toothless didn’t care. This wasn’t a race. This was… air therapy.

When we landed, we were all kind of disappointed. Land. Pft, how boring. I’d trade it for the air any day. But we landed anyways, and I slowly started working on taking Toothless flight gear off. Jack distracted him by petted his head lightly and murmuring to him.

“What?” Jack asked, shocked.

“Huh?” I asked.

“Hiccup…” Jack said, looking up at me slowly.

“What?” I asked. Toothless let out a low growl. “Toothless, what’s wrong?”

“Oi!” Someone yelled, running, or should I say hopping, out towards us.

Bunnymund came speeding at us, faster than we all could have anticipated, and whipped out his wand. Toothless knocked Jack away and launched himself on top of Bunny. Both fell with a _thump!_ and Toothless loomed over Bunnymund, one paw on his chest, his eyes deadly. Bunny’s eyes grew wide.

“Toothless!” I said, running over. “Professor, I am so sorry!” I said, prodding Toothless off Bunny. The dragon was reluctant, but he stepped off the professor anyway. He hopped to his feet and pointed his wand at Toothless.

“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing, Bitesize?!” He yelled at me. Jack and I shifted over, so we were standing right in front of Toothless… right in Bunny’s line of fire. “That’s a dragon, mate.” He emphasized.

“I’m fully aware of that,” I said as politely as I could. Toothless gave an aggressive growl and Jack gave him a look. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to know what he was saying…

“Step away from him,” Bunny insisted. “Step away or I’ll make ya,”

“Unforgivable Curses are not allowed to be used on students, Kangaroo,” Jack said with a smug smile.

“They can be used if they are protecting the students,” Bunny said with a smile. “Now step away from the dragon.”

“No,” I said firmly.

“Why are you defending it?” Bunny asked deliriously. “They’ve killed hundreds of us…”

“And we’ve killed thousands of them!” I argued. “What he was doing… he was just protecting me! Now, you can do anything you want, give me detention, be mad at me, take it out on me. Just… don’t hurt him!”

“You’re acting like this thing has a right to be here!” Bunny exclaimed. “If the Ministry finds out there’s a dragon at Hogwarts, we’ll be done for.”

“He’s my friend,” I said fiercely. “You’ll have to go through me to get to him.”

“Hiccup, you’re being unreasonable-” Bunny said, trying to talk me out of it.

“And if you even want to touch a hair on his head, you’ll have to go through me,” Jack said lowly. His voice kind of scared me. It was lower than usual, and it wasn’t a threat… it was a promise.

“You both can be in a lot of trouble,” Bunny informed. “Threatening and denying a teacher, hiding a dragon…”

“I don’t care,” I said. “You aren’t hurting him. Not while I’m around,”

“Sorry it had to come to this, mate,” Bunny said quickly, and before I could process what he said, he shot three spells…

And the world went dark.

* * *

 

I opened my eyes a bit groggily, and I was in my room. Memories caught up with me, and I launched myself out of my bed, stumbling a lot. Once I was really up, I started running. A cold sweat was running down the back of my neck.

They have Toothless, oh gods, they have Toothless!

I ran as fast as I could to the Headmaster’s office. I needed to talk with North. I needed to explain that Toothless wasn’t dangerous to anyone. I couldn’t let them take away the single most important thing in my life (other than Jack, but that’s so not the point).

I guess my fear and adrenaline were good fuel, because I made it to the Headmaster’s stairs before I knew it, without breaking a sweat. But, to get up there, you needed the password. I almost cried. I stared at the phoenix statue harshly, thinking about a password North would set.

“Candy canes?… cookies? Fruitcake? Christmas?” I suggested. The phoenix stayed stone cold and unmoving. It probably wasn’t the best idea to kick at it, but I did. I didn’t register the pain like I should have, I was too angry for that.

“ARGH!” I yelled. “They have my freaking best friend, and they’re probably going to ship him off to Bulgaria or something! And all you freaking do is sit here like some sort of GUARDIAN!”

I stopped my rant in shock. The statue started moving. I revealed a spiral staircase, and I hurried up it, my heart in my throat. _Please don’t let me be too late, please don’t let me be too late…_

The Headmaster’s door was extraordinary, but I didn’t pay attention to it. I beat on it wildly, pushing all my weight into it, trying to get it to open somehow.

“Headmaster!” I screamed. “Professor North! Please, just open-!” the door gave way from under me, and I nearly fell to the floor. I looked up, and Professor Tooth was looking down at me.

North and Bunny looked like they were talking animatedly, and Sandy looked like he was mediating.

“Professors!” I said. “Please, I can explain!”

“Hiccup, what did you think you were doing?” North said, walking towards me. “You could have killed people!”

“Toothless isn’t a killer!” I yelled. “He’s my best friend! He can’t live without me! He’ll die if we’re separated!”

“Don’t you think you could’ve talked to us first?” Bunny asked.

“I know you would have said no!” I yelled defiantly. And then I realized I was talking to actual professors, and I toned it down a bit. “Toothless isn’t a danger.”

“Hiccup, we had to repair Bunny’s rib and his arm.” Tooth said, placing her hand on my shoulder. “We can’t just overlook that.”

“He… he was only protecting me,” I said. “I’m sorry that you got hurt, Professor,” I apologized, looking at Bunny but not being able to hold his gaze.

“Done and over with now, Bitesize,” He dismissed. “If the Ministry catches wind of this, we’ll get our heads lobbed off.”

“The Ministry doesn’t need to know!” I insisted.

“How did you sneak it through the gates, anyways?” Tooth asked.

“Well, I found this spell that changed an creature’s appearance to a household pet.” I admitted. “Toothless just happened to be a cat, and that was how I snuck him in.”

“Ingenious…” Tooth said. “How did you do magic outside of Hogwarts?”

“I… um, well, I sort of… overrode the system for maybe ten seconds. Maybe, I didn’t time it or anything.”

“You’re telling us that you overrode a system that no fully-trained wizard has ever cracked before, just to change a dragon into a cat?” Bunny asked, incredulously.

“Yes…?” I said, a bit unsure. I didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but then Bunny started laughing.  

“That’s bloody insane, mate…” He breathed. I glanced around, and Tooth had an expression as if she didn’t know if she should be happy or serious, and North just looked baffled. Sandy caught my eyes, floating a few inches off the ground and his arms crossed in front of his chest. He gave me a smile, and sand created pictures over his head. A golden dragon and an arrow pointing to the right.

I glanced over, and saw Toothless. He looked like he was sleeping, but he was in restraints.

“Toothless!” I said, running over to him in an instant. The moment I touched him, he looked up, his eyes alive and bright. _So maybe he wasn’t sleeping_. “Hey, bud!” I said, petting his ear fins and his nose. He licked at my face. I laughed. “Oh, bud… I’m so glad you’re okay.” I said, hugging him. His huge head rested heavily on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry…” I said into his scales. There was a deep, resounding purr in his chest, and I took that as a ‘ _you’re forgiven_.’

“This is nice and all, but… Hiccup…” Tooth said. “He can’t stay.”

“He…. He has to!” I said. Toothless growled, and I put my hand on his head silently. “He can’t go with my dad, he’s always working! And… and you can’t ship him away… he’ll die out there.”

“I’m sure he’ll do fine, mate,” Bunny assured.

“No, no he won’t.” I said, my voice turning hard. “Toothless is missing half of his tail. He can’t fly on his own, he can only fly with me, because I made him an artificial tail. He’ll die out there. I won’t let you take him.”

“We will keep him on grounds.” North said with finality.

“What?” Bunny and Tooth asked. Sandy had a big, golden question mark over his head.

“Toothless has done no harm.” North said. “We will keep him in Forbidden Forest. There, you will take him food, but only if homework is finished. Yes?”

I couldn’t believe it. I… I was keeping him here?!

“Y-yes, Headmaster.” I said shakily.

“Good.” He said. “Bunny, set Toothless free.” Bunny shot him a look, but did it anyway. Toothless bounded toward me, and knocked me over. I laughed.

“C’mon, bud…” I said, I stood up and fished my wand out of my boot. I did the spell, and Toothless was a cat.

“No wonder this little bugger followed you everywhere…” Bunny muttered.

“Thanks, Professors.” I said, taking my leave.

“Welcome, Hiccup.” North said.

Toothless and I walked down the spiral stairs and wandered around aimlessly in the halls until we were near Ravenclaw Tower.

“HICCUP!” Jack yelled. I flinched, and looked down the hall. Jack, Xavier and Lauren were rushing towards me. “Thank God we found you! We’ve been looking everywhere!” He grabbed me, and hugged me furiously, one of his hands clutching the back of my head, the other on my back. I slipped my hands around his middle and smiled.

“Really?” Jack asked suddenly, putting his hands on my shoulder and holding me out at arm’s length. “Toothless can stay?”

“How you two communicate, I will never understand,” I said, rolling my eyes. Toothless circled between my ankles.

“That’s great Hiccup!” Lauren said, smiling like mad and bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“Excellent, really,” Xavier said, smiling.

* * *

 

Dinner that night was crazy. Toothless ate on the table with us, and a lot of people just stopped and stared as the cat dug into a raw fish. We all laughed, and ate. It was a feast for Toothless, his last feast in the castle. And it was amazing. After dinner, I waited in Ravenclaw Tower until it got really dark. I slipped on Toothless’ gear and we flew out the window.

Jack met us halfway to the Forbidden Forest. We all flew there together, and we landed at the Cove. A smile grew on my face as I remembered the last time we were here. I laughed a bit.

“What are ya thinking about?” Jack asked, smiling too. I rolled my eyes at him.

“You know…” I said. “Last time we were here, you asked me out.”

“Aw… being sentimental, Freckles?” Jack teased. He hugged my head, my face being smushed to his chest. “That’s so adorable!” He said.

“I can’t be adorable if I can’t _breathe_!” I protested. He let go of me and pinched my cheeks instead.

“ _Don’t stop… breathing~_ ” Jack sang. I batted his hands away.

“Actually I think it’s believing, not-” I protested.

“ _Hold on to that feeling~_ ” Jack sang, drowning me out.

“I don’t wanna hold on to this feeling…” I said.

“ _Street lights~_ ” He sang. I smacked my hand on his face. “Okay. Got it. I’ll stop.” I moved my hand and looked at him, sort of scared that he’ll break out in song again.

“Don’t go all Journey on me, okay?” I said, smiling a little bit.

“Okay… I won’t.” He replied with a smile. “Really, I won’t.”

Toothless nudged my side and I petted his head.

“I know, I know, we should be going…” I muttered. “Aw… shit…” I said, slapping my forehead.

“What?” Jack asked.

“I have to walk back to the castle…” I said. Toothless sounded like he was laughing at me. I shot him a look.

“You don’t have to walk back…” Jack said, gesturing to his staff that was in his hand.

“No.” I said. “No, absolutely not. There is no way that you are flying me back.”

“C’mon, don’t you trust me?” Jack asked, pouting.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just-” I started to say, when Jack wrapped his arms around my waist and shot off into the air.

“Night Toothless!” He shouted at the dragon. Toothless roared playfully.

“Oh my gods!” I yelled. “Jack what the hell? Put me down!!!”

“Do you want me to drop you?” He asked me.

“JACK!” I yelled. Only being held up by his arm around my waist scared the hell out of me, so I wrapped my legs around his and hugged his torso. “You’re an asshole you know that?!” I yelled.

“Eh, I’m sure it’s an understatement,” Jack said. “But you love me anyway, right?”

“That’s debatable at the moment!” I said back at him.

“Stop being such a baby!” Jack said. “Look, we’re here.” He deposited me in my window. “Good night,” He said with a smile.

“Night,” I said. I shut the window, changed into some pajamas, and crawled into bed.

Right before I fell asleep, I heard one of my roommates mutter, “Faggot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you didnt know, the song at the end is "Dont Stop Believing" by Journey!  
> (Also, that ending though. im so sorry)


	26. You Gotta Represent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhm... there's violence, bullying, and offensive slurs in this chapter, so if you are sensitive to that, then please dont read! Thank you!

Chapter Twenty-Six: You Gotta Represent

** Jack’s POV **

I woke up. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. Just another day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I got up and pulled on my uniform. Then I waltzed down to the Great Hall. Lauren and Xavier were already there, eating and talking. I sat down across from them.

“Morning, Mr. Sunshine,” Lauren said with a smile.

“We thought you were dead!” Xavier said.

“Eh, shut up, you know I’m not a morning person.” I grumbled. I filled my plate with a waffle and tried to devour that. “Where’s Hiccup?”

“Do you have to guess?” Lauren said with a chuckle.

“Again?” I asked. “Geez, he’s going to die of exhaustion one of these days.” Hiccup’s been waking up early, running through the Forbidden Forest, and spending time with Toothless ever since he got the ‘okay’ from North. He really needs to relax, but I’ll let it slide; he’s just worried something might happen to him out there, that’s all.

Speaking of the (incredibly adorable) devil, Hiccup ran into the Great Hall, huffing and puffing. He sat down next to me, and I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gave them a squeeze. He had bags under his eyes and his robes looked like they went through hell and back (without being torn or burnt of course).

“Morning,” I mumbled. He laughed breathlessly.

“Hey,” He grabbed a fork and cut a corner off the waffle that was on my plate, and ate it.

“What?” I exclaimed. “You can’t just come in here and eat my breakfast!” I protested.

“I just did.” He said, sneering at me as he continued eating. “You got the last waffle again,” He said with his mouth full. I rolled my eyes at him, and gave him an Eskimo kiss.

“Dork,” I muttered.

“Idiot,” I said back.

“Offended,” I said, feigning offense. He laughed at me.

“If you’re offended, it must be true.”

“Rude!” I said.

Classes were as normal… right about until Potions class. Hiccup and I waked into the classroom, hand-in-hand, but we dropped hands when we sat down. Today, we were brewing the Draught of Death. All the class gathered all the ingredients, and got to work quickly; we only had about an hour to brew this potion anyways.

I was crushing a scarab beetle with the side of a knife, because it releases the juice better than cutting it, when Pitch walked up to us.

“And oh! How are the little lovers doing today?” He taunted. Hiccup blushed furiously, ducking his head down and refusing to look up. My face set in an angry grimace before I slammed my knife down, the tip driving itself deep into the cutting board.

“We’re fine, thanks.” I said with a smile. “Anything else you would like to know, _Professor_?” I growled the last word, because frankly, I would have replaced that word with ‘dick.’ At least he would be deserving of _that_ title.

“Just one more thing- no, two actually.” Pitch amended himself. “Haddock, how’s your precious dragon?” I saw Hiccup’s jaw harden, and his hands clenched into fists behind the cauldron. Pitch smiled ruefully.

“He’s doing great,” Hiccup said, digging his nails into the desk while trying to keep his voice neutral.

“And Frost…” Pitch drawled. “How are you going to mess things up this time?” He asked. I reddened, and there was steam coming out of my ears. My fingers were itching for my wand.

“I’m not going to-!” I yelled, but I was drowned out but someone else.

“How _dare_ you say that to my boyfriend?!” Hiccup yelled, his eyes hard with rage. He was seeing red, I could tell, and he was itching to curse this asshole into oblivion like I was.

“Twenty points from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, I think,” Pitch said, his amber eyes glimmering evilly. “I do not appreciate being yelled at in my own classroom.” He looked around, and the room was deathly quiet. “What are you all staring at?” He roared. “Get back to brewing!”

Everyone turned around quickly and got back to work. I was still seeing red as I squeezed some of the scarab beetle juice into the cauldron.

“I swear, I’m going to punch him in the face one day,” I mumbled just loud enough for Hiccup to hear. There was no chuckle like I intended there to be. Hiccup’s face was a hard mask, and I was breathing easy just knowing that his anger wasn’t directed at me.

“You and me both,” He mumbled back. I blinked at him in shock. He would never say something like that… He looked back at me. “What? He deserves it.”

“True,” I said. “I just didn’t expect that out of you,” He just gave me a gentle smile, slowly chipping away his anger.

“You really think I’ll just put up with him?” Hiccup asked. I smiled back as I slipped my hand in his for a quick second, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

“I guess not.” I said, letting go quickly. We had a potion to finish, right?

* * *

“Hey Hiccup!” Lauren screamed from down the hall. We both turned and gave her a smile. “Oh, and hey Jack,” She said, running over to us.

“Hey Loor,” Hiccup greeted, with that stupid little nickname.

“Hi Lauren,” I said. “Where’s X?”

“In the Library. He has to do some research for this essay he has to do with Sandy.” Lauren explained. Hiccup just smirked at her and tilted his head.

“Wow, really, I thought you would be helping him research.” He said. Lauren laughed, resting a hand on his shoulder.

“Oh my gosh, good one,” She said, pretending to wipe away a nonexistent tear. “But do you really think I’ll help him with research? Come on, he has to do something by himself!”

“You’re smart,” I pointed out. “I would’ve guessed you would have been all over helping him.”

“You see, just because I’m smart, doesn’t mean I do everything academic-related!” She protested. Hiccup and I shared a glance, and then looked at her. She sighed. “Okay, maybe I do, but that doesn’t count. I really just wanted to hang out with you guys.”

“Why?” I asked. “You hang out with us every day!”

“Will you just shut up?” Lauren said, smiling. “Seriously, I’m starting to think that you don’t want me here!”

“You sound really desperate,” I pointed out. Hiccup punched me. “Ow, well, it’s true!” Lauren just rolled her eyes at me.

“So… how’s everything going?” Lauren said, trying to suppress her smile as she looked at both of us a little bit too excitedly.

“Um… fine?” I said, a little taken-aback.

“Pitch was a total jerk today.” Hiccup said.

“He’s PMS’ing.” Lauren dismissed simply. I snorted, while Hiccup just slapped his forehead. “What? He’s been a pain in everyone’s ass all day today. What’d he do to you guys?”

“First he asked about Toothless,” Hiccup said. “And then he basically said that Jack was going to screw up… well, _this_.” He said, lifting our linked hands up. Lauren’s jaw dropped open, but then she closed it, determined.

“That’s a fuckin’ dick move,” She growled, bringing a hand up and running it through her hair. Then she pulled. “Do you know how bad I just wanna… argh! I know I can’t attack a teacher…” She mumbled the last part.

“Are you… plotting revenge or something?” I asked her. There was a calculating look in her eyes, and something far-off… “You are planning something!”

“You’re planning on carrying Xavier’s love child again, aren’t you?” Hiccup asked quickly. Lauren laughed sharply and looked at him.

“What?!” I asked. His love child? Huh?

“Nothing, it’s a joke,” Lauren dismissed. “And no, Hiccup, I’m not. I’m thinking about… _how to get revenge without getting in trouble_.” She whispered the last words, just because of the fact that Pitch had a tendency of listening in on people’s conversations.

“Well, that’s virtually impossible,” I snorted. “They can always trace things back to the students.”

“And if not, they could always finger-print everything and find out.” Hiccup added. Finger-print? I’m not even going to ask…

“I know…” Lauren mumbled. “Maybe I can plan a Potions accident… yup, totally doing it. Tomorrow.”

“How?” I asked.

“Let’s just say explosive reactions and magic go hand-in-hand very nicely, don’t you think?” Lauren said, smiling and letting go of her hair.

“Lauren, you are positively evil,” Hiccup said.

“Aw… that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.” She cooed. “How’s Toothless? Still in the Forest, huh?” She asked as they started walking down the corridor again.

“Yeah, the professors think it’s the safest thing for him,” Hiccup said.

“You should really let me fly you over there whenever you want,” I said. I hated the way he had to run through that forest every single time he wanted to see his dragon. It made my stomach twist at all the possibilities that could happen in there. Hiccup just shot me a glare. “What? It would be a lot easier, and you don’t have to work yourself to death every day.”

“As if, you just want to scare the shit out of me,” Hiccup said, rolling his eyes. I threw an arm over his shoulders and pulled him close to me.

“It’s not my fault that it’s fun to scare you,” I said, smiling.

“You are so irritating,” Hiccup said, but his heart wasn’t in it. He wrapped his arms around my torso. Lauren smacked her lips loudly.

“Whelp, I’m being a third wheel over here.” She said. “Hey! You hear that? Yup, definitely Xavier calling me for help. Well, see you later, bye!” We both laughed at her as she jogged away.

* * *

A couple days later, Hiccup and Jack were walking out of Defense, hands connected and slightly hidden behind them.

“Did you see the way Bunny looked when he yelled at you?” Hiccup asked, laughing.

“He acts like I actually care, right?” Jack said, laughing along with him. “It was one little spell…” He breathed out.

“Yeah, one little spell that almost knocked out three people!” The smaller teen said. “You’re just lucky he didn’t land you in detention!”

“I’m just lucky those three people had quick reflexes…” Jack mumbled. Hiccup laughed again.

“Hey Jack!” Someone yelled down the hall. The both of them looked, and Xavier was standing there. “North wants you!”

“I didn’t do anything this time!” Jack complained.

“He says now!” Xavier called. Jack rolled his eyes, and looked at Hiccup apologetically.

“I gotta go,” Jack said, giving his boyfriend’s hand a squeeze.

“It’s okay. I’m gonna visit Toothless so it’s cool,” Hiccup said with a little smile. Jack’s smile faltered a bit.

“Frecks, you know I don’t-” Jack started.

“Jack!” Xavier yelled. Hiccup stood up on his toes and kissed him on the cheek.

“Go, I’ll be fine.” Hiccup promised. Jack reluctantly made his way towards Xavier, and Hiccup turned around and started walking towards the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest.

He didn’t get far.

He barely made it halfway across the grounds before he tripped over nothing. He crashed to the ground violently with a grunt, his backpack falling off his shoulder. With a click of his tongue, he started to get up. Really, he should really watch where he was going… wait… there was nothing for him to trip over… He got to his feet and slung his backpack onto his shoulder again. Hiccup looked around cautiously, a look of disbelief on his face.

“Hey fag!” Someone yelled. Hiccup looked up in shock. All he saw was a flash of blue, some brown hair, and he was on the floor again. That someone pushed him.

“Rob?” Hiccup asked, looking up at one of his roommates fearfully. Rob usually had this smile on his face, but this time it was replaced by a nasty sneer, his deep brown eyes possessing this evil glint in them that made Hiccup’s throat go dry. He started scooting away from Rob, his backpack forgotten and his heart thrumming under his skin. Rob lunged, and grabbed the front of Hiccup’s robes, and pulled him to his feet.

“How long, huh?” Rob growled.

“W-What-?” Hiccup stuttered.

“How long were you staring at us behind out backs?” Rob said, shaking Hiccup slightly. “You’re sick.” Rob let him go, and Hiccup was breathing hard.

And then Rob started wailing on him. Punch after punch, Hiccup was battered from left and right. He knew bruises would form from the hits. Rob kept hitting him, his arms, his stomach. Hiccup knew he couldn’t just sit here and let someone beat him up.

Hiccup clenched his fist, and with as much force he could muster, he punched Rob in the face. There was a crack, and Hiccup gasped as he realized he broke his nose. Rob touched his nose gingerly, blood leaking out of his nostrils slowly. Then his face screwed up in anger, and he punched Hiccup across the face, landing him on his ass for the third time.

Rob grinned at Hiccup, who had blood dripping out of the corner of his mouth, and ran away. _Probably to go get his nose fixed_ , Hiccup thought.

He licked his lips, and tasted blood. Shakily, he got up to his feet, and grabbed his backpack off the floor. His arms felt like they were about to fall off, and all Hiccup really wanted to do was crawl into the ditch and stay there for three days. But he slipped into the Forest unnoticed, thankful that no one ran over to watch the fight.

Hiccup stumbled through, and Toothless was waiting for him at the Cove.

“H-hey, bud…” Hiccup said, his voice wavering. Toothless purred, and helped him walk over to the edge of the pond that was there. His backpack dropped to the ground with a dull thud, and Hiccup followed soon after it. He sat down gingerly, and winced when he did so. Toothless nudged his nose at Hiccup’s chin, where a thread of blood trailed down it. Hiccup wiped it away hastily.

“I’m okay, bud… really,” Hiccup said, trying to push Toothless away but wincing when he moved. Toothless snorted indignantly, telling Hiccup that he thought that was total an utter crap. Hiccup whined.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” He said. Toothless snorted again. Hiccup dipped his hand in the pond’s water. It wasn’t exactly purified water, but it would do. He raised his wet fingers to the trail of blood and wiped the blood off furiously. It hurt, but at least he looked normal, well, as far as he knew.

The two just sat there for the longest time, Toothless letting Hiccup rest on his side. The dragon looked fondly over at his rider, and noticed a small tear running down his cheek. Toothless twisted, and nudged him again. Hiccup took a shuddering breath, and wiped the tear away.

“Oh… Toothless…” He sighed, sobbing as he collapsed against his friend’s side. Toothless warbled sympathetically as his finger’s gripped scales. Huge, warm tears made their way down Hiccup’s face, leaving their tracks behind. Hiccup hurt all over; his arms and some ribs were most likely bruised, and the pain continued to throb in the side of his face where Rob’s fist connected.

Panic flooded him as he realized that Jack would most likely be looking for him. His breathing hitched, and he wiped away his tears again. Jack couldn’t know, mustn’t know, about any of this. He would beat Rob until he was nothing but a speck in the atmosphere, and he would get expelled for it. He couldn’t know. There was no way.

“Hiccup?” Jack called, making his way into the Cove. Hiccup took a deep breath, and pulled on a smile.

“Hey, Jack.” He said. Jack ran over to him and sat down. “So… what did North want you for?” Hiccup asked. _Maybe if the attention was off me, he wouldn’t notice_ ….

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Jack said with an embarrassed smirk. “My results in one of our Charms exams was too high for them, so they thought I was cheating.” He laughed.

“T-that’s a little harsh,” Hiccup said. “Why would they assume something like that?” Jack smiled, then wrapped his arm around Hiccup’s waist, pulling him closer. The freckled boy winced at the contact and the sudden movement, but he hid it well.

“Exactly…” Jack said, burying his nose into Hiccup’s hair. “I just told them I have a really good tutor…”

“Oh, so letting you copy my homework counts as tutoring now?” Hiccup remarked as sassily as he could.

“Yeah pretty much,” Jack said, kissing the top of his head.

* * *

**Hiccup’s POV **

We made our way back up to the castle after saying goodbye to Toothless. He was very reluctant to let me leave, but he didn’t say anything to Jack (judging by the way he’s acting) so that’s a good thing. A couple people from Ravenclaw bumped into me in the hall, and Jack just held tightly to my hand.

You see? Just a little bump in the hallway makes him mad! What would he think about the bruises that surely formed from Rob? He would kill someone, I know it. He just… he couldn’t know.

Dinner was okay, except for the fact that it was one of those nights where it was mandatory to eat with your house. I shied away from everyone, mostly because they were shooting me death glares. I ate quickly, and walked out of the Great Hall. Jack and Xavier were talking animatedly, so it didn’t really matter.

I was walking down the hall, when someone grabbed my shoulder. I yelled out, and turned quickly.

“Hiccup…” Lauren said. I sighed.

“Oh, hey Lauren…” I said.

“What is with you?” She asked. I tried to look like nothing was wrong. “Something’s the matter…” She said, holding my hand. “Tell me.”

“I-i-it’s nothing, Lauren,” I assured. “Really it isn’t.”

“Hiccup.” She said, giving me a look. “You’re a terrible liar and I know something’s wrong.”

“You can’t get mad.” I said. “You can’t.”

“Why would I be mad?” She asked.

“Because…” I said, then rolled up my sleeve. Just like I thought, my arm was a canvas, blossoming with huge purpling blotches. Lauren gasped, blinking at my arm in surprise.

“Bruises…?” She asked. “Hiccup! What the hell? What happened?”

“I-I-I fell. I was going to see Toothless, and I fell.” Well, at least that wasn’t technically lying. “Don’t tell Jack. He’ll probably insist that he should fly me around everywhere because I’m so clumsy. Please, Lauren.” I asked. She let out a huff, that clearly meant that she didn’t 100% believe me.

“Fine, I won’t tell him. “She said. “But… please be careful. I don’t want you hurt.”

“Okay,” I said. I rolled my sleeve down and winced a bit.

* * *

**...**

* * *

 

Jack pushed me slightly against the wall as he kissed me. My fingers tangled up in his hair and tugged at it slightly. Jack moaned, the sound reverberating through my throat. His ice cold hands pushed their way up under my shirt, feeling up my burning skin. I shivered. His hands continued to wander, and they brushed a bruise on my stomach. I winced slightly, and I was glad he didn’t notice.

My heart was beating faster and I couldn’t think of anything else besides Jack, and everything he was doing. His teeth dragged along my bottom lip, his body pushing closer and closer to mine… his fingers touching my ribs.

I gasped and broke the kiss as pain blossomed where his fingers touched. Jack jerked back, his hands coming out of my shirt, his blue eyes startled.

“You okay, Freckles?” Jack asked a little breathlessly, licking at his slightly chapped lips. He cupped my cheek softly, his thumb caressing it slowly.

“Yeah, I-I’m fine,” I said, biting my bottom lip nervously.

“You sure?” Jack asked, pressing a chaste kiss to my forehead.

“Y-yeah,” I assured.

“It’s a little late. We should get to bed.” Jack said, taking my hand and walking me down the halls. He deposited me in front of the Ravenclaw Tower stairs. “I’ll see you in the morning, okay?” He said.

“Alright,” I said. I stood on my tip-toes slightly and kissed him. “Good night,”

“Night,” Jack said, smiling. He reluctantly let go of my hand, and I carefully made my way up the winding staircase.

I heard him walking away, humming to himself slightly. I made it to the top of the stairs, and sat there for a little while. I swear I could feel the raven knocker’s eyes on me, watching me closely. I looked away.

I couldn’t go in there. Not with Rob. Not with everyone else giving me that evil look. I don’t know what they would do to me if I walked in there. Rob would definitely want revenge for me breaking his nose, and that was something I would rather avoid.

I waited there for about another ten minutes, wishing Toothless was right next to me. But he wasn’t and there was no point in wanting something that you couldn’t have. Besides, he was safer in the Forest. After I deemed that enough time, I ambled down the staircase, and up many more, until I reached the Room of Requirement.

An intricately carved silver wooden door appeared before me, and I stepped inside. It was a small room, but it was cozy. There was a little fireplace with a fire already going, bathing the room in a comforting orange glow. There was a bathroom off to the side. The bed looked comfortable and warm, and I stopped myself from crawling right into it and falling asleep.

I walked into the bathroom, and got the shower running. I took off my clothes slowly, mostly because it hurt to move my arms higher than normal. By the time I walked into the stream of water, it was burning hot. I didn’t mind it though, it was actually sort of relaxing. The heat melted almost all of my tension away, leaving me with red, almost burnt skin. The bruises that I could see were a deep shade of purple now, and I knew that there were more that would be forming soon. I lathered my hair the best I could with shampoo and conditioner, and then washed my body as gently as I could. I washed behind my ears, and with one last minute of just enjoying the hot water, I turned the water off with a flourish.

I reached over and grabbed a towel off of the sink. I dried myself off, wincing a bit but I dealt with it. I pulled on a pair of pajamas and walked out of the bathroom.

And that was when I allowed myself to crawl into the bed and fall asleep.

* * *

 

The next morning I woke up early to the sound of an alarm clock. I was groggy, and I couldn’t help but wonder why there was an alarm clock there in the first place. I didn’t see an alarm clock… But then I saw my uniform folded neatly on the corner of my bed, and I understood.

Elves.

They must have come in the middle of the night and set the alarm clock so I could get up on time for today. I climbed out of bed and pulled off my pajamas and pulled on my uniform. My shoes were the last to go on, and then I walked out of the Room quickly. I felt like shit, but hey, I would survive.

I sat down hastily at a table in the Great Hall and started eating whatever was in front of me, in this case, toast. It felt waaay too early for this, but I just =sat there and ate anyways.

“Hiccup?” Lauren asked. “What are you doing up so early?” She sat down next to me and sipped on her cup, which instantly filled itself with grape juice.

“Um… I couldn’t sleep.” I replied. She looked at me a bit skeptically, but she didn’t push it.

“Mmkay,” She said, picking up a blueberry muffin and eating it. “I heard Sandy’s gonna teach about healing spells today in class. Maybe you could ask him to fix you up.”

“Yeah, that might be a good idea,” I said, smiling. “Thanks, Lauren.” So, after Charms, I asked Professor ManSnoozie if he could help me heal my bruises.

“You should go to the Hospital Wing for these,” He reprimanded using the golden sand that made pictures above his head. I sighed heavily as he healed them one by one.

“I know, Professor, but I really don’t want to put her through all that trouble for a couple bruises.” I responded.

“You mean that you don’t want anyone else finding out about these?” Sandy asked, looking right through me. I reddened, and shrunk under his gaze. He nodded satisfactorily. “There. Good as new.” He said.

“Thank you, Professor.” I mumbled with a little smile as I walked out of his classroom. I was only lucky Jack had to run to the bathroom at the same moment, or he would be asking all about the bruises and why I had them.

* * *

Saturday came, and it was glorious. No classes, no homework (for the people who actually did what they were supposed to, that is), and nothing to do other than visit Toothless of course. After breakfast, Jack insisted that he flew me over there instead of walking. I hung onto him tightly as we flew over the towering trees and into the Cove. Toothless didn’t tackle us like he usually would have, but he licked me anyways.

“Ugh, Toothless~” I whined, trying to wipe off the goop that covered me. He just warbled, and I stuck my tongue out at him.

“What do you mean?” Jack asked. I blinked at him a bit, until I realized he wasn’t talking to me. I rolled my eyes, and petted Toothless’ head. “I know it is, but I really don’t see why- okayokayokayokayokay! Jeez!” Jack said.

“What’s up this time?” I asked, raising my eyebrow at the two.

“He doesn’t want you walking here,” Jack said with a smile.

“Liar,” I said bluntly. “You’re just worried.” Toothless’ tail smacked me over the head, and I looked at him, offended.

“See? I’m not lying,” Jack said with a smile, swinging his staff around before setting it down and sitting next to me. “I’m hurt that you would think I would lie…” He said, pouting.

“I was kidding…” I said, rolling my eyes at him. He looked at me, his face lit up with a smile.

“I know…” He said.

Later that day, we were just walking through the hallways. Jack was hovering about six feet off the ground, and I looked up at him.

“If this place was normal, I would laugh if you hit your head on something,” I said, laughing at the thought.

“Good thing the ceiling is about a hundred feet up here, huh?” Jack said, looking down at me. He rose up higher into the air, until he was floating directly above me, his body propped up under his staff and his head hanging near mine upside down.

“I guess, but seriously, who’s going to need all this room?” I said gesturing up to the marble ceiling and almost smacking Jack in the face.

“A giant, duh!” Jack said loudly. I rolled my eyes at him.

“Oh yes, and why would a giant be at Hogwarts?” I asked sarcastically. “To learn a shrinking spell?”

“That’s a little mean,” Jack said. “What if they like being huge?”

“Then that’s up to them,” I said. Jack ruffled my hair quickly, making me spaz out and wave him away. He flew up into the air, laughing his head off. He stayed up there for a little while, looking around and enjoying everything. I watched him a bit, before I was thrown violently to the floor.

“ _Oomph_ ,” I grunted as I fell. I looked up, and Rob and some other Ravenclaws were above me.

“Hmph, fag.” Rob remarked, making a couple of the others laugh.

“Hey!” Jack yelled, landing on the floor softly with only a faint _smack!_ as his bare feet touched the marble floor. “What the hell do you think you’re doing to my boyfriend?”

“Teaching him a lesson,” Rob grunted, a cocky smile on his face.

“And why the fuck would you do that?” Jack said. “He hasn’t done anything to anyone!”

“Shut the fuck up, faggot. Who the hell do you think you are?” Rob yelled, getting in Jack’s face. I just watched, too petrified to move or get up off the floor. I don’t even think I was breathing. Jack’s blue eyes turned icy, and his features hardened. He spat in Rob’s face.

And as quick as lightning, Rob’s fist shot out. Jack was quicker, and he dodged the blow, throwing his own fist into Rob’s face and causing him to fall on the floor. I scooted away from them fearfully. Jack swung his staff in his hands, and a blast of frost shot from the hooked end and hit Rob. He was an ice statue in no time. I would have laughed if there wasn’t more people to worry about.

Everyone else surged towards Jack, and there were about four in all, not counting Rob. Jack whacked as many as he could upside the head with his staff, looking tired. I should have done something, I really should have, but the only thing I found myself doing was moving away and looking at the whole scene in horror.

Someone shouted down the hall, and then there were footsteps, someone was running.

Xavier and Lauren showed up, and looked over everything, at me, at Jack, at everyone else. Lauren lunged forward, and started wrestling a person away from Jack. He gave her a look of shock when he noticed that she was girl. But none of that stopped her when she rammed her fist into his nose forcefully.

Xavier changed instantly the moment he saw what happened. Literally. His fingernails turned into claws, and his ears were suddenly on top of his head, covered with fur, and looking like a wolf’s. His nose turned black and shiny, and when he opened his mouth and swore lightly, I noticed his teeth were pointed.

He moved quickly, tackling someone and putting them in a chokehold. They dropped to the floor a minute later, probably passed out. Then he lunged towards another one, who was twice as big as he was and about three inches taller. He didn’t seem to care as he threw the hardest punch he could into the guy’s stomach, making him double over in pain. He grabbed the guy’s black hair, and threw him onto the floor and started kicking him.

I barely noticed that students were watching the whole thing, a thin trickle of onlookers staring in awe as they beat them up. Then Bunnymund, Tooth, Pitch and Sandy ran into the hall, and looked at everyone. Jack looked at them defiantly for a second, before glancing over and rushing towards me. He dropped down on his knees and looked into my eyes.

“Are you okay?” He asked softly. I blinked at him a couple times.

“Yeah…” I breathed. “I should be asking you that,” I said, reaching up and wiping his forehead. There was a small cut on his forehead, oozing blood slowly but surely. He laughed, taking my hand in his and moving it to cup his cheek.

“I’ve seen worse, I’m okay…” He mumbled.

“Frost! Cannonblast! Bloodstone! Haddock!” Pitch barked.

“What happened here?” Bunny asked, looking at Rob’s frozen statue. Jack shuffled over, and placed his hand on Rob’s head. The ice melted instantly, leaving Rob to flop on the floor, gasping and shaking violently.

There were golden sand pictures flashing over Sandy’s head rapidly, his expression angry and confused as he gestured madly at everything. Xavier looked normal again, and I sighed. He was kind of scary.

“All of you!” Tooth yelled. “To the Headmaster’s office!”

We didn’t protest as we walked to said place, Tooth following after us while Pitch, Bunnymund, and Sandy helped the five beaten and battered guys to the Hospital Wing.

* * *

 

“What were you thinking?” North reprimanded as he paced behind his desk. I shrunk a little where I stood while the others looked back at him defiantly.

“They… they pushed me down, Professor.” I said weakly, not looking away from my feet. Jack slipped his arm into mine, and hung on tightly.

“I hardly think someone pushing you down can cause a full-on fight, Hiccup,” Tooth said, the anger evident in her voice.

“For the record, Rob threw the first punch,” Jack said snarkily.

“Do you really think this is joke, Frost?” North yelled.

“No, I’m just telling the truth,” Jack said back, his voice hovering towards a yell.

“And why did you two join in?” Tooth asked, gesturing at Lauren and Xavier. “You could have called someone!”

“I was defending my friends.” Lauren said. I can’t describe that look in her eyes when she looked at Tooth and then at North. It was serious, sincere, harsh, and challenging all wrapped into one. “They all surrounded Jack and Hiccup was on the floor. What was I supposed to think?”

“And it was four against one.” Xavier challenged. “We were just evening out the odds.”

“How did this all start?” Tooth asked, a little confused.

“Well, Rob pushed Hiccup down…” Jack said.

“No,” I refuted. “It started a couple days ago.”

“Hiccup, what are you-?”

“I was going to visit Toothless when Rob attacked me and beat me up.” I confessed.

“Hiccup…” Lauren gasped. “The bruises…”

“Bruises?” Jack asked. Xavier just looked at me, stunned. “Frecks, what bruises?”

“I went to Professor ManSnoozie to heal them. I didn’t want Madame Pomfrey asking any questions.” I said. “You can ask him. He’ll tell you that I did.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jack said, a little angrily. “I defrosted the creep! I should have left him freeze!”

“I didn’t tell you because I knew you would react like this!” I said, grabbing his hand.

“You should have told us,” Xavier said quietly.

“You all have detention.” North said. “For two weeks. Every day after classes, you will do whatever we ask of you, without magic. Do you understand?”

“Understood.” We all muttered.

“Good.” He said gruffly. “Now go.”

We left.

* * *

 

“Why?” Jack asked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I-I-I…. gods, this is so messed up…” I muttered. “I was going to tell you. I was. But I knew you would get mad, and I knew that you were going to beat Rob up…”

“Of course I was going to!” Jack said. “Do you really think that I would have just sat there knowing this guy was hurting you?”

“You were going to get in trouble and I didn’t want you to get in trouble because of me!” I yelled. “It wasn’t worth it.”

“Don’t say shit like that!” Jack said, grabbing my shoulders. “It’s totally worth it!”

“Worth you getting in trouble?” I said.

“Worth defending you!” Jack argued. “I’d rather die than have you hurt!”

“Don’t say that!” I said.

“I will say that!” Jack said, pulling me towards him and hugging me furiously. “Everything’s worth it if it’s for you.” He mumbled into my ear. I twisted, and looking up at him. A tear leaked out of my eye.

“Ditto,” I said.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Fixing Everything

** Hiccup’s POV **

To say the least, Rob didn’t bother any of us again. Oh, and I got a new room, all to myself.

And that was a bad idea on the professor’s part. Once Jack found out I had an empty room, he never really left me alone.

Detention started after class on Monday. Pitch needed us to go into the Forbidden Forest and get as many herbs as possible. Turns out that task took longer than everyone thought, and we stayed there, roaming deep into the Forest without anyone coming to get us, until well after nightfall. That was when Bunny came running with a lantern, yelling at us that we shouldn’t stay out in the Forest after dark. Xavier just rolled his eyes, and said that we were just doing what we were told. Bunny thumped him upside the head. We walked back into the castle after that and had dinner.

I found out, after a lot of wondering and griping, that Rob and the others also had detention. They had detention for the rest of the school year, and they had letters sent home to their parents telling them what they had done. Last week, most of them got Howlers from home. We all laughed as they tried to run out of the Great Hall, a floating envelope yelling after them.

(My father doesn’t know, in case you’re wondering. And I would like to keep it that way, for now at least.)

Tuesday’s detention wasn’t all that better. Xavier, Lauren, Jack and I had to take care of the Greenhouses. As in, de-weeding the plants, watering the plants, stuff like that. It would have perfectly okay… if the plants were actually normal. Most of them were mandrakes, and Xavier almost got bit, Lauren nearly fainted because her earmuffs weren’t on correctly, and Jack and I had to break up several mandrake fights. It wasn’t all that pretty. None at all. It was a good thing Professor Longbottom was watching over us that whole time, making sure nothing went horribly wrong. He dismissed us after three hours, which only got about half of the greenhouse done.

We didn’t complain though, and we trekked back to the castle for dinner. I ate my heart out, not really caring about the taste and just stuffing my face. After, I said good night to everyone and went up Ravenclaw Tower. I clambered up even more stairs and went into my room, shutting the door behind me and sighing. I have two day’s-worth of homework that needed to be finished, yesterday’s and today’s. I was never this behind before. Well, better hit the books…

I sat at my desk and began writing. There was an essay for Transfiguration that I needed to get out of the way: one scroll on the properties of shape-shifting and how to identify them. It was really simple, if you got the technique down: think about what you want to write, then write it really big. Simple.

I was starting on the work for Potions (your hypothesis on what concoction could negate the effects of a Nightmare Elixir, one scroll) when something tapping on my window made me jump.

I looked at my window quickly, my heart pounding, only to see Jack floating there, knocking again. I rolled my eyes and unlocked the window, opening it a smidge.

“I have homework that needs to be done, and so do you,” I said, not able to keep the smile off my face.

“Just let me in Freckles~” Jack said, pushing on the glass. I sighed, and let him in. “Hey,” He breathed as he stepped in, propping his staff up next to the window and pulling me closer to him.

“Hello, I’m Hiccup. What’s your name?” I asked, pretending that I didn’t know him. My hands came up out of nowhere and intertwined themselves at the back of his neck. Jack just laughed at me, then pressed our foreheads together.

“You’re such a dork,” Jack said.

“You didn’t answer my question,” I pointed out.

“Oh right,” He said. “I’m Jack.” He swooped down and captured my lips with his own. It was gentle and sweet, but the mischief and playfulness that usually came with whatever Jack was involved with was still there. I smiled a little into it. “Please to make your acquaintance.” Jack whispered, barely moving away from me.

“The pleasure is all mine,” I murmured. “Now, if you excuse me, I have some homework to finish up.” I pushed him away from me, breaking his hold and walking back to my desk. I could tell he rolled his eyes because there was this exasperated sigh that always came with it.

“Why can’t you just have a little fun?” He whined, following.

“Hmm… let’s see, oh right, because this is a _school_ , not a party.” I said, flopping into my chair. “And I’ve been slacking off because of detention. I need to get caught up.”

“Okay, then…” Jack said. Bed springs squeaked, and I looked around, more out of shock really. Jack was lying on my leisurely, his ankles crossed and his hands behind his head. “I can wait.” He said, smiling up at the ceiling. A smile crept on my face and I looked away quickly, refocusing on homework.

Potions was a piece of cake, and I read a chapter about the charm we were going to be practicing with Sandy tomorrow, and I was finished with my homework. My brain was fried right after as I closed the text books I had out and sorted my papers neatly.

“You finally done?” Jack asked, his voice sounding a bit muffled. I turned around… and started laughing. He was curled up around my pillow while he held it tightly.

“Yeah and…” I said, “What… are you doing?”

“It smelled like you,” Jack replied simply, flinging the pillow back to its original spot and rolling off my bed in one quick movement. “Now… where were we?” He asked, touching my face softly as he kissed me.

“Mm. I think we just made it passed introductions.” I said. His hand was ice cold and chills ran up my spine, the good kind.

“Hmph, thought so,” He mumbled with a smile. I stood up on my tiptoes slightly and we met halfway. My hands rested on his chest, while one of his hands rested on my hip, the other still at my cheek. The kiss was slow, but there was nothing lazy about it. Jack started walking backwards, and I just shuffled along with him because, well, I didn’t want this to end.

Jack sat down on my bed slowly, pulling me along with him, and we just sat there for a minute. I finally worked up my nerve and let my tongue lick his bottom lip. He opened his mouth, and that was when we made out like bandits, like the world was going to end and this was the last time we would see each other, like we were drunk and didn’t care.

In all honesty, I didn’t even think about all this at that moment. It was always act, act, act, and I liked it that way. Who needed thoughts and rationalization when you’re kissing the one person you lo- like a lot?

Jack shocked me, just a little, when he started to lean back. His hand on my cheek guided me on top of him. But everything was slow, careful, so… not Jack. Being twisted at an odd angle was uncomfortable, so I moved so that I was basically straddling his hips.

His other hand ran up my back, almost comfortingly. It was sort of nice…

And then it hit me. He was trying not to freak me out. Last time we did this in the Room of Requirement, I freaked out about going too fast. I almost laughed in pure giddiness when I found this out. And that made sense, him making me on top… damn I was an idiot. I should have figured this out earlier… but in my defense, I’m sort of intoxicated at the moment (intoxicated from Jack, but we’ll let that tiny detail slide for the moment, shall we?).

Then he pulled away, looking up at me with that confident smirk of his. I bit my lip. And Jack laughed.

“I’ve got homework to do.” He said. I almost laughed. Was this a joke?

“Since when do you do homework?” I asked.

“Since my boyfriend tells me to,” He replied, sitting up and practically dumping me on his lap.

“Oh, like you do everything I tell you to do,” I countered with an eye roll.

“And what are you, some kind of hypocrite?” Jack asked. “Two seconds ago you were lecturing me about doing homework!”

“No, actually, two seconds ago we were kissing and I was thinking about how much I lo- like you.” I corrected myself quickly. Why the hell did I let that slip? The gods freaking hate me! They just want me to crawl into a ditch and watch me rot. Why did I say that? Now he’s going to think I’m too clingy and………

“What were you about to say, Freckles?” Jack asked wryly.

“N-nothing,” I said, sliding off him to sit down on the edge of my bed. I tried my hardest to not bite through my bottom lip or stare so intently at the floor that it’ll burst into flame. Jack’s fingers lifted my chin up, making me look at him. He pulled me into another light kiss, but I broke it, feeling a bit too stupid to fall under that spell again. “Go do your homework,” I chided.

“Tell me what you were about to say!” Jack insisted.

“Will you be quiet?” I hissed. “There’s other people in the Tower, you know!”

“Just tell me!” Jack said. I glared at him for the duration of half a millisecond before my expression softened.

“I… I was going to say that I was thinking… about… you know, h-how much I love life with you in it now.” I said, the lie evident in my voice but I continued on anyway. “B-Because… you know, t-things are better now and I d-don’t have to worry about losing you to one of your fangirls or-or ignoring me…” He placed a light kiss on my forehead.

“Get some sleep, Frecks.” He advised. “I think the lack of sleep is making you incoherent.”

“Good night, Frosty,” I said, slinging my arms around his waist in a good-night-hug. He returned the gesture tightly, and then walked to my window.

“Good night, Hiccup,” He said softly before grabbing his staff and slipping out of the window expertly.

As soon as he was gone, I flopped back onto my bed and slapped my hands onto my face.

Gods.

Well, it could have been worse.

* * *

** Jack’s POV **

That night… well, it was hard to go to sleep, to say the least. But I managed to write a half-assed Potions essay and study everything else until I finally decided to even try to fall asleep. I ripped off my clothes, leaving me in only my boxers, and went to bed.

“So… how was it?” Xavier called from the other end of the room. I rolled my eyes.

“Shut up.” I mumbled, shoving my pillow up and over my head so I wouldn’t have to listen to him.

“Come on, I’m just asking…” Xavier said.

“Nope.” I replied.

“So I take it that you had hot crazy sex and now you’re trying to hide it from me.” He said sarcastically.

“You’re a sick, deranged asshole and no. We didn’t. So just… mind your own business and go to sleep.” I said.

“Sheesh, someone’s trying to fall asleep on the wrong side of the bed.” He remarked.

“And why would you say that?” I asked.

“Because you’re angry.”

“I’m not angry… I’m just confused.” I resolved.

“Oooh, now you’ve got to tell me,” He said, sitting up and listening to me with rapt attention. In the darkness, I couldn’t really see, but I knew he had an amused smirk on his face.

“Nope. I’m tired. I’ll tell you in the morning,” I said.

“Hmph,” Xavier said. He fell asleep anyways. I was just praying that he forgets about the whole thing in the morning and never speaks of it again.

Sleep evaded me, if just for a little while. But, while it avoided me completely, my brain took over. Hiccup… dammit, I knew what he was going to say. He was going to say _it_ , the “L” word. “Love.” He was going to say it. The funny thing is, I love him too. What if… oh god, was he scared? Did… did he think I would back off if he said it? Oh my god… No! I smacked myself on the forehead, and the _smack!_ that resulted was louder than I expected it to be. I loved him too.

That’s when sleep decided to come, and that was my last coherent thought before I fell in my dreams.

* * *

Wednesday was just the same as before. Breakfast, classes, Lunch, classes, Detention, dinner, homework, sleep. I felt like a robot. This was so stupid… but at least X, Lauren and Hiccup were suffering with me. Oh gosh, that sounded mean. I mean, I’m not going through this alone, because they were right by my side for mostly every step of the way.

(And, if you were wondering, yes, Xavier did forget about the conversation, but you didn’t hear it from me.)

The night’s detention was cleaning the lavatories with toothbrushes. No magic. It was by far the worst.

Why? Not because of the toothbrushes, hey, I could live with that. No, it was because… we had to clean Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom.

Who was she? Well, when the Chamber of Secrets was opened the first time, the basilisk inside it rose up and Myrtle looked into its eyes, and died instantly. She’s been here ever since. Maybe she was trying to make sense of her death, maybe she wants to make other people miserable to. Well, she was definitely doing the second one today…

“Toothbrushes?” Xavier complained. “Really? They make it bad enough it’s this bathroom, but with toothbrushes too?”

“Hey, look on the bright side, this’ll be the closest you’ll ever be in getting into the girl’s restroom,” Lauren quipped. I snorted and Hiccup rolled his eyes. Xavier opened his mouth and was about to say something, but he closed it quickly.

So… we walked into the bathroom, and started getting to work, because filth was everywhere. The sinks, the floors, and walls, even the ceiling! How the heck were we supposed to clean the ceili- oh. Duh. My staff. Would that be considered magic…? I’ll worry about that later.

“How do these bathrooms ever get this dirty?” Hiccup asked, scrubbing away furiously at one of the sinks. “I mean, we have elves for a reason you know!”

“I think they do this just to torture the bad kids.” Lauren muttered. She was on her hands and knees, washing the floor in increments using the toothbrush.

“Then shouldn’t Rob be doing this?” Xaiver asked.

“Nope. I heard they have to take care of the hippogriff pens, and that’s worse.” I said, shining one of the faucets. “Hippogriffs don’t tolerate assholes very well. They could end up being in the hospital wing again.”

“That tone in your voice suggests that you did something to them.” Hiccup said, looking right through me and reading me like a book. “So what did you do this time?”

“Why is it always me?” I sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “I didn’t do anything…” I tried to meet Hiccup’s eye, but it didn’t work very well.

“I’m not an idiot…” Hiccup said.

“So maybe I charmed the hippogriff manure to stick to the floor no matter what happens to it…” I said, laughing a little. Hiccup busted out laughing, and it was so contagious that Lauren and Xavier joined along too. We all laughing for a while, forgetting that this was even detention.

“So… a bad boy getting in more trouble…” A nasally and feminine voice said from behind me. I jumped, and turned around quickly. Moaning Myrtle was floating right in front of me, her short black hair and thick-rimmed glasses standing out more than anything. “Sounds… ha!... interesting…” She said, scooting closer to me and nudging my shoulder with hers. It felt like my shoulder was being frozen.

“Uh, sorry Myrtle,” I said. “I’m taken.”

“Taken?!” She screeched. “By whom?”

“T-That would be me,” Hiccup said, sending her a little wave and a shy smile. She was in his face in seconds.

“You?” She asked, her voice reaching incredible highs. “You’re dating Jack?!”

“Y-yeah, h-he’s like, the best thing t-that’s ever happened to me… s-so…” Hiccup said, stuttering uncontrollably. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold of Myrtle or because he was nervous, but it was incredibly adorable. I placed my toothbrush on the sink and slid next to Hiccup, my hand on his super-skinny waist.

“Yup, we’re a thing,” I confirmed. “Do you have a problem with that?” I challenged.

“Problem?!” She yelled. Then she flew into the air, and I almost lost sight of her as she flipped. “There’s no problem! You guys are absolutely _adorable_!!” She said, drawing out the last word for emphasis.

“Nah, he’s the adorable one,” I said, placing a kiss on Hiccup’s temple before letting him go.

And… Moaning Myrtle bugged us the whole entire time, talking incessantly and laughing lightly. She was a bit of a creep, really. She squealed every time Hiccup and I were remotely close, and Lauren and Xavier just laughed at us as they scrubbed the toilets. Seriously, _we_ should have been laughing at _them_.

The bathroom was almost exactly spotless by the time Professor Tooth fluttered in and told us to go eat dinner. We didn’t object when she said that, Hiccup and I nearly ran out of the bathroom, Moaning Myrtle yelling at us to visit her sometime. Xavier and Lauren just laughed at us.

It was well past dinner time, but exceptions were made. The four of us ate until we couldn’t anymore, and when we were almost finished, Rob and the four others walked into the Great Hall, flies hovering over them and their clothes filthy. We laughed at them under our breath as they avoided our gazes.

Xavier, Lauren, Hiccup and I left the Great Hall and walked around the hallways for a while.

“Oh my god, guys!” Lauren said, smacking her forehead dramatically.

“What?” We all answered her.

“It’s almost the end of the school year!” She said. “I’m not going to see any of you in forever!”

“Well, it’s not the end yet,” Xavier said, rolling his eyes and looping his arm around her shoulders.

“Yeah, we should just have fun while we can,” I said shrugging.

“And we can always meet up somewhere,” Hiccup said. “Because, honestly, I’m going to be doing absolutely nothing this summer.”

“Me too…” Lauren said, laughing.

That little conversation got me thinking. Wow, it’s only been one school year, and look at everything that’s happened… one school year. Probably the best year I ever had at Hogwarts. I smiled a bit as I took Hiccup’s hand in mine, swinging it lightly as all four of us walked down the halls. He looked at me with those green orbs he called eyes, and flashed me the cutest crooked smile in the universe. What am I going to do when I can’t see my little Freckles every day?

Xavier and Lauren bounced out early, and that just left me and Hiccup. I unconsciously walked him to Ravenclaw Tower and stopped at the stairs. We sat down on the first stair, Hiccup curled up by my side. My cheek rested on top of his head. I let out a little sigh. I’m going to miss this… but, might as well enjoy it while I can.

“J-Jack?” Hiccup said, looking up at me. I smiled.

“Yeah?” I replied.

“I-I… d-don’t take this the wrong way but…” Hiccup said, stuttering so much he was barely understandable. “I-I really don’t know what I’m going to do when we have to go back home. Y-you’re… really, you’re everything to me, and I-I just wanted to say that…” His voice died in his throat and he looked away from me quickly.

“Hiccup?” I asked. He laughed a little nervously.

“I-I… I love you,” He said. It was barely a whisper, but I caught the words. My eyes widened in happiness and a smile spread across my face.

“Hey Hiccup?” I asked. He looked at me, and I wasted no time in kissing him.

**“ _I love you too_.” **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who am i kidding? Moaning Myrtle would TOTALLY be one of those creepy fangirls. And Lauren and XAvier would let them suffer. Jerks.  
> Just kidding!! I hope you have a good day, and you smile genuinely at least once today! Thank you for reading!!


	28. Crap-Tastic Ways To Piss Off Anyone

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Crap-Tastic Ways To Piss Off Anyone

_Hiccup was running._

_He didn’t know exactly what, but he knew something was chasing him, and he knew that if they caught up it wouldn’t be pretty. He was breathing pretty hard, and his hair repeatedly got into his eyes, causing him not to see very well. His booted feet slapped against the marble, the sound becoming faster and faster by the second. When he chanced a glance behind his shoulder, he saw Rob running after him, a nasty sneer across his face as he slowly inched closer and closer to him…_

_Hiccup sped up, dodging objects and skidding around corners before setting off again. Stairs would be a bad idea, Rob could easily catch him there…_

_Maybe he should have taken a flight of stairs. Just once, because he reached a dead end, and Rob was walking towards him. Not a hair was out of place on his head, and his eyes had this malevolent sheen to them. From between his fingers, a blade flipped out, the metal shining in the light. Hiccup’s eyes darted from the blade to Rob._

_“No…” Hiccup yelled. “No No No! Please!” He wailed. Rob was unaffected, and was moving closer to him. He laughed, the clear sound slicing through the atmosphere and leaving Hiccup wanting to throw up. Rob lunged and Hiccup cringed, waiting for the impact the blade would make._

* * *

 

“Stop it!” Jack screamed. “Can’t you see you’re hurting him? Stop it!” Pitch sneered, and pulled the stopper from little vial filled with a powder blue liquid. He let one drop fall from the vial and onto Hiccup’s lips. Almost immediately, Hiccup gasped, his eyes flashing open and sitting up quickly. He took in his surroundings, and let out a sigh before pulling his legs up against his chest as he shook with the unspoken sobs that racked his body.

Jack sat himself down onto the table next to him, and wrapped him up into his arms.

“There is why we all need to know about the effects of the Nightmare Elixir,” Pitch drawled. “Fear is everywhere, and if someone takes advantage of that, everything would be lost. The Nightmare Elixir puts the subject into a deep sleep, letting them live their worst fear over and over. This is a perfect torture device. All of you need to learn this! The Nightmare Elixir is highly untraceable, and is used throughout the world! You need to understand that _this is relevant_!”

This whole demonstration was to prove to the students why it was important to learn about the Nightmare Elixir, because most of them hadn’t done their homework at all. It all seemed really cruel, but deep down it was almost as if Pitch really cared. He wanted the students to know exactly how to fight all the negative effects, how to make the antidote even under a high-stakes situation, and even how to spot someone under the influence of the Nightmare Elixir.

But Hiccup didn’t appreciate it one bit. Really, he could have punched the professor right now… if he still wasn’t freaking out about everything that had happened in his nightmare.

“You’re okay, Hiccup,” Jack mumbled into his hair. “It… it was only a nightmare, you’re going to be fine…”

“It… it was so real…” Hiccup said. He had no more tears to cry, but he still fought the sobs that racked his body and seized his lungs forcefully. “H-He was gonna…”

“Sh… It’s okay…” Jack said. “W-We’re going to have a little fun instead okay?” He asked, kissing his boyfriend’s head and offering him a smile. “You’re going to have to think about it, though.”

“O-Okay…” Hiccup said, doing a little double-breath that only comes when you’ve cried for a while.

“So… I’m thinking of a number…” Jack said. “Between one and ten. It’s divisible by three, and it’s a multiple of two. What’s the number?”

“This is stupid…” Hiccup said, blinking his red-rimmed eyes at Jack in disbelief.

“Well, it’s getting your mind off of everything, now isn’t it? So, what’s the number?” Jack asked again. Hiccup had to sigh.

“Six.” He said.

“Good. You learned something in grade school.” Jack said, earning a little laugh from Hiccup. “Hey! What’s adorable, small, and has spots all over?” He asked. Hiccup thought for about two seconds.

“A Dalmatian puppy?” Hiccup answered, unsure.

“Nope! You!” Jack said, tickling Hiccup’s sides ruthlessly. The freckled boy laughed until he couldn’t breathe again, and when he could, he completely forgot about anything that had to do with the Nightmare Elixir at all.

“Now, as much as I hate to admit it,” Pitch said, drawing everyone’s attention back on him. “Frost knows how it’s done. You could give the drinker of the Nightmare Elixir a million and one antidotes after they’ve been woken up, and it still wouldn’t fully let them recover. But! If you get their mind off it, distract them, they’ll recover a bit more quickly than normal. Am I right, Haddock?”

“Yessir…” Hiccup mumbled, not allowing himself to make eye contact with the man who caused him mental anguish.

“Good work, Frost.” Pitch said. “At least I know someone has at least cracked open their books.”

The rest of the class went on to read about the Wolfsbane Potion: its qualities, how it’s made, what it’s for. They were to write a one scroll essay about it, due the next day. By the time the shrill bell rang, Hiccup was already done with half of his essay.

“Well, that was odd.” Jack said as soon as they walked out of the classroom.

“Very odd indeed…” Hiccup replied.

“Since when did the things Pitch teaches about ever become relevant in real life?” Jack asked. “It’s weird.”

“Easy for you to say, you didn’t live a nightmare.” Hiccup muttered, pulling a wry smile on his face, but Jack could tell it was half-assed. He hugged the little auburn-haired boy close to his person as he walked.

“But you’re okay now,” Jack said, resting his head on top of Hiccup’s. “And you know I’ll never let that asshole near you ever again, right?”

“Yeah… right.” Hiccup said. Then he looked up at Jack, and shooed him away. “Get off me! I’m not your stuffed animal! You can’t hug me whenever you want!”

“Yes I can and I WILL!” Jack said, hugging him tightly.

“Mrgph.” Hiccup grunted in agitation, but smiled anyways. “You’re such a dork.” He mumbled.

“Who you callin’ dork, Mr. Dork?” Jack replied. Hiccup rolled his eyes. And they went to Defense, the last class of the day.

After class, the two boys found themselves unconsciously walking towards the Forest. They didn’t really know why, they just found themselves… there. Jack’s arm was holding Hiccup firmly by the shoulders, while Hiccup hugged him around the waist. As soon as they reached the edge of the Forest, something huge umped out from the trees and knocked both of them down. They got the wind knocked out of them momentarily, but they found the air they needed to laugh, somehow.

“Toothless!” Jack whined, looked up at the ecstatic black dragon that was sitting on top of the two.

“Bud!” Hiccup exclaimed. “Oh man, what are you doing out of the Cove? North would be furious-!”

“It’s Professor North to you, Bitesize,” An Australian accent said through the trees. Bunnymund stepped out of the trees and looked down at the two of them with a smile on his face. “And, actualy, he’s the one that told me to go get the beast.”

“W-Why?” Hiccup said, pulling Jack up on his feet with a little bit of difficulty.

“Well, let’s just say this is only because it’s the end of term,” Bunny said. “But he’s also been roaring like mad whenever you aren’t there.”

“Toothless~” Hiccup scolded, giving the reptilea huge hug. “So he can come into the castle?”

“As long as he doesn’t deficate in the halls, North says it’s good.” Bunny said.

“I thought it was ‘Proffessor North’?” Jack quipped, a smirk on his face. Bunny glared at him.

“Shut it, you bloody show pony,” He mumbled. “Have fun with your dragon.” He said before he hopped away. Toothless wiggled excitedly, and nudged Hiccup all over with his nose, as if he was making sure it really was Hiccup he was looking at. Hiccup just sat there and laughed, while Jack smiled at the two of them like an idiot, his smile getting wider by the millisecond.

“So… shall we go flying?” Jack suggested.

“Oooh, you are so on.” Hiccup said, smirking confidently as he flung himself on Toothless’ back. The dragon started running, and Jack hopped on quickly, mostly because of the fact that he didn’t have his staff.

* * *

 

“ _Night Fury!_ ”

“ _Get down!_ ”

Hiccup and Jack laughed as they flew through the halls of Hogwarts, students cowering underwing and screaming for their lives. The sounds were so contrasting, that it almost funny to listen to… others would have laughed at the sound if they weren’t scared of dying themselves. At the end of the corridor, Toothless landed on the floor with a chortle of his own. Jack threw himself off of the dragon, and gave a deep, swooping bow towards the people that were cowering on the floor.

“Students of Hogwarts! Tremble in fear of the terrifying Night Fury!” Jack said. Hiccup flung himself off the dragon just in time, because right after he did so, Toothless launched himself at Jack and licked him all across the face furiously. Hiccup nearly died laughing, and the students picked themselves off the floor, one by one, grumbling and shooting death glares at the two troublesome boys.

Which, of course, made the pair laugh louder.

* * *

 

There was a couple new notices on the Memo Boards that night.

_Students: There is a Dragon in the Castle. Do not shoot, attack, or agitate it in any way. Description: Black Night Fury, half of tail missing, replaced with leather prosthetic._

And…

_Study, study study! Final Exams are tomorrow!_

The first announcement caused some dismay, but once the second memo was seen, there were outcries of rage, shock, and panic. That didn’t even give them much time to study for the finals! Everyone ran to their dorms or the library to cram as much information as they could into their brains, trying to retain it all before the next morning.

Hiccup sat at his desk, pouring over his books, with Toothless looking over his shoulder curiously. The freckled boy had tried to push the dragon away from his side, but the dragon absolutely refused to be more than three feet away from him. So, he was stuck with hot, cod-smelling breath fanning over neck and shoulder from time to time.

There was a knock on the window, and he looked over unamused. Jack was floating there, just as he thought he would be. He waltzed over there, and threw open the window, Toothless by his side.

“Hey Hiccup.” Jack said.

“Jack?” Hiccup asked. “What are you doing? We have finals tomorrow. Didn’t you see the memo?” Jack just flashed him a smile.

“Of course… I just thought that we could… you know, study together?” Jack asked.

“Nope. Nuh-uh.” Hiccup said, shaking his head. “All we’re going to be studying is anatomy, and that wouldn’t help us with finals in the slightest.” He tried to keep the smile off of his face as he said it, but there wasn’t a chance that it would work.

“And would that be so bad?” Jack asked, leaning on the windowsill.

“Jaaack~” Hiccup said. “Go and study. Please…”

“Fine… Oh! Use that paper thingy you gave me for Christmas!” Jack said, his eyes lighting up.

“The Parchment Communication paper?” Hiccup asked. “I thought you threw that away.”

“Never!” Jack said. “Get it! I’ll write you in, like, two seconds!” And with that, Jack flew away swiftly, shooting off into the night sky with little snowflakes forming a trail behind him. Hiccup chuckled, and latched his window shut. Then he dug through his trunk for two seconds before he found his half of the Parchment Communication Paper. He held the paper gingerly and walked back to his desk, getting back to studying…

When letters bloomed onto the parchment.

“ _Hello Freckles <3_” was what was scrawled out onto the page. Hiccup smiled, and hurried to write something back.

The rest of the night went like that, studying, scrawling, reading, smiling and laughing. And, surprisingly, both boys got a lot of studying done.

* * *

 

The final exams the next day were ruthless, but Hiccup had everything under control. It was a good thing he remembered most of what he studied earlier that night and morning (because he crammed a little more information into his brain at breakfast that morning). With plenty of time to spare, Hiccup turned in the final exam for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and walked out of the classroom quickly. Jack looked at him, partly with envy, but then again with longing, but he knew the separation wouldn’t be forever and he refocused back onto his exam.

Hiccup roamed the hallways for a while before finally feeling how heavy his backpack really was on his shoulders. So, he sat down, propped up against the wall and looked blankly at whatever was in front of him.

_What am I going to do? This summer is going to be amazingly boring without Jack… And what do I tell my dad? He’s going to notice something has changed with me… Oh gods, should I tell him? He would pitch a fit! Would he? Would he accept me or throw me out like a piece of trash? No, my father wouldn’t do that… he loves me. He… He wouldn’t care… right?_

“Well, it looks like someone is contemplating something,” a chiming voice said over Hiccup’s head. The poor freckled teen nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard it, and his eyes opened (honestly, he didn’t even know they were closed). He saw nothing at first, what with his eyes adjusting to the sudden light, but when they focused, he saw a translucent figure standing over him. She had long waist-length hair, and whether it was dark or not, Hiccup couldn’t be sure (she was a ghost after all). Her cloak fell to the floor, or it would have, if she was actually standing on it. But no, she was floating a couple inches off the ground, her expression a bit too haughty for a ghost.

“The Gray Lady…” Hiccup breathed. Of course he knew who she was, she was the ghost of Ravenclaw, after all. She gave him a little smile, one that was all too proud, as she nodded.

“Hello, Mr. Haddock.” She said. “Having fun with that war inside your head now?”

“I don’t think that any war, no matter where it is, would be any fun.” Hiccup muttered.

“That is so true.” The Gray Lady said. “You truly are a Ravenclaw.”

“Thank you…”

“Helena.” She said. “That is my name.”

“Oh, well, thank you Helena,” Hiccup said, giving her a gracious smile before digging through his backpack. He pulled out his sketchbook and pencil. “May I sketch you?” He asked, looking hopeful.

“If you would like to, then yes,” Helena said, smiling lightly, her haughtiness unadulterated. The she turned, and looked out into space, as if imagining herself someplace else, a glazed-over look coming over her eyes quickly. Hiccup sketched her, taking in every detail: the proud and far-off look in her eyes, the blood stain that showed slightly on her dress right over her heart, then way her cloak and hair billowed in the nonexistent wind.

“Alright, I’m done,” Hiccup said clearly, pushing the book towards the Gray Lady. She didn’t take the book, she just looked at it curiously. Her eyes widened as she blinked furiously, staring that the drawing incredulously.

“Is… is that how I really look like?” She asked, pointing at the page slightly. Hiccup smiled.

“Yeah,” Hiccup said. “You’re beautiful, if you don’t mind me saying.”

“I do not mind it at all,” Helena said. She cupped his cheek, the feeling that his face was being pressed up against an ice block running through him immediately. “Pity the school year is about to be over.” She murmured. Then with a sad smile, she floated away, nearly disappearing in the glare of the afternoon sunlight.

* * *

 

“Hey, Frecks.” Jack said, tugging Hiccup closer to him by the waist. “Where’ve you been?” He asked. He leaned over and looked at Hiccup’s sketchbook. There was a picture of a lady there.

“Just… around, I guess.” Hiccup said distantly.

“Around?” Jack asked. “Who’s she?” He asked, fingering the book closer to him. The woman was pretty after all, and he was sure that if Hiccup drew it, it was in perfect likeness.

“Helena,” Hiccup replied simply, taking the book, snapping it shut, and stuffing it back into his backpack.

A wave of… something crashed over Jack, and he didn’t really know what it was. It burned in his chest, making him see red. It took him a while to realize that what he was feeling was actually jealousy. Who was this pretty woman, and why was Hiccup drawing her? Why doesn’t Jack know about her? And most importantly, why did Hiccup act like it was all a huge secret, snapping the book and taking it away from him like that?

“So, who is she?” Jack asked, narrowing his eyes at Hiccup and trying his hardest not to clench his fists until his knuckles were stark-white.

“Jack, she’s no one. Can you just forget about it?” He said levelly. The statement made Jack even madder, and he looked away, hurt.

“Alright then,” He said coldly. Why was he acting like this? It couldn’t be what he thought it was… Hiccup was in no way cheating on him, never. Nope, it just wasn’t happening. He wouldn’t do something like that, he knew it, deep down inside. But he ignored everything that told him so, and all he could focus on was his rage.

“If you want to break up, you should have just told me, you know,” Jack said quietly, almost so quiet that Hiccup couldn’t hear him. He stood up quickly, and was about to leave when Hiccup grabbed his hand, standing up with him.

“Jack, what are you talking about?” Hiccup asked.

“You know what I’m talking about,” Jack spat. Hiccup flinched, but stood his ground.

“No, I’m really, very pretty extra sure that I don’t,” Hiccup said, forcing Jack to look at him. “ _What_ are you talking about?”

“Helena!” Jack said with a sneer. “Why don’t you just go off and make out with her? See if I care!”

“Jack-”

“No, I don’t want to hear about it.” Jack said.

“She’s a ghost!” Hiccup exclaimed. Jack stopped. “Helena Ravenclaw, the Gray Lady… she’s the ghost of Ravencaw. After the exams I ran into her and she let me draw her.”

“Oh…” Jack said, smacking his forehead as hard as he dared, dragging his hand down the length of his face. “Shit…”

“Yeah, ‘ _oh shit!_ ’” Hiccup said. “Do you really think I would be cheating on you? What the heck?” He said.

“I-I-I I don’t know!” Jack said. “I wasn’t thinking right!”

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t have assumed anything!” Hiccup said.

“Well, you didn’t have to act all secretive about the whole thing!” Jack argued right back.

“I wasn’t being secretive!” Hiccup said, digging through his backpack and pulling out his sketchbook again. “I didn’t want to you looking at it, because you might flip through and find this!” He flipped through the pages almost angrily, and shoved it in Jack’s direction. On it, was a drawing of him. It was a perfect portrait, really; he looked care-free and it looked exactly like him, except for the fact that half of it was missing. Jack just gaped at it. “But never mind, I guess.” Hiccup didn’t waste any time as he stalked away, not even trying to put away his things, he was that angry.

Jack smacked his head on the table. He was such an idiot… And great! Now Hiccup was super pissed at him! Just… just freaking perfect. He stopped himself from running after him, practically seeing the steam rush out of his ears like a freight train. Jack groaned, and sat himself back down. Letting this whole thing cool down for a bit before confronting Hiccup would be better for everyone… right?

* * *

 

Later that night, Jack snapped his simple, white, rubber band bracelet harshly on his wrist, and slipped himself through the door that led to the Ravenclaw Common Room. Hiccup hadn’t shown up for dinner, and if it was out of rage or something else, Jack didn’t know. So he snuck up the stairs and found Hiccup’s room. Yes, the door opening widely and shutting it all by itself looked a little weird, but it didn’t matter.

When the door opened, Hiccup froze. He thought someone was coming in. But it must have been the wind. He was sitting on his bed, Toothless perched on top of it almost awkwardly as he tried to give him comfort. His fingers rubbed comforting circles into Toothless’ scales, comforting to him at least.

There was a loud crack, and Hiccup looked up, startled. And there was Jack, standing in the middle of his room, and sad expression on his face.

“Are you going to tell at Toothless now, too?” Hiccup said, a bit sullenly. Jack wilted visibly, and sat himself on the edge of Hiccup’s bed.

“I’m sorry, Hiccup.” He said. “I really am.”

“I’m not even mad,” Hiccup said, his voice hard. Jack looked at him quizzically.

“What?”

“I’m disappointed.” Hiccup clarified. “Why would you think, even for a second, that I would rather be with someone else other than you? I love you… and you think that I would do… that? I thought you thought better of me…”

“I… I was scared. I wasn’t thinking clearly.” Jack said. “Hiccup, I’m sorry.”

“I heard you the first time,” Hiccup replied smartly. “And there’s nothing to forgive. It’s over with.”

“You’re… you’re not disappointed? Upset?” Jack asked, blinking at the freckled teen incredulously.

“I think I’ve tortured you enough,” Hiccup said, leaning over and pecking him on the lips. Well, it was supposed to be a peck anyways. Jack cupped his cheek quickly and kept him there for a while. Toothless rolled his eyes, and sauntered over to the corner of the room.

“I am taking you to dinner,” Jack said.

“Jack, you really don’t-” Hiccup said.

“Nonsense!” Jack argued. “You’re already a fishbone! I’m not letting you get any smaller!”

The two snuck out and went to the kitchens. The yetis gave Jack the evil eye, but the two stayed long enough to have a nice dinner. The elves gave Hiccup a cod for Toothless. Jack wished Hiccup goodnight, and with one last kiss, the two parted for the night.

* * *

 

The next week of schooling was simple. Very simple actually. Classes winded down, teaching basically nothing and being slightly entertaining. The Professors were tired of giving instruction every day, and the students were tired of pretending that they actually cared about what they were being taught. There was a stead rhythm, one balanced between boredom and amusement.

The feeling was in the air. The anticipation of school being over. The happiness of going back home. The sadness of going without your friends for the summer. The elation of not having homework, of doing whatever you wanted for as long as summer would last.

The year was coming to an end, and the students didn’t know whether they loved it or regretted it.

There were frequent reminders, telling student to make sure all belongings were packed and ready for Saturday (the date of departure), that any and all pets had the proper travel cages for the train, and that grades should be coming by owl over the summer. It was all very exciting.

Finally, Friday came, and it was a bittersweet day for all. There was no classes, to ensure that students had no excuse to miss the train because they forgot something, and everyone was enjoying it.

Hiccup, Jack, Lauren, Xavier, and Toothless lounged around, doing absolutely nothing but enjoying everyone’s company. No one really talked, afraid someone might say the wrong thing and have everyone burst into tears. Where had the time gone? Why did this have to end?

“Promise me you’ll write,” Lauren said. “I don’t know what I’ll do if I’m stuck without hearing from any of you over the summer.”

“I’ll write, babe,” Xavier said, shooting a smile her way. She smiled back.

“You know this isn’t goodbye, right?” Jack said. “We’ll have to do something over break, you know, just to make sure you didn’t get a stupid tattoo you would regret or something.”

“Even if he didn’t see each other over break, it still isn’t goodbye. We still have two more years left at Hogwarts,” Hiccup pointed out. Lauren smiled, looking up at the clouds.

“I know…” She mumbled. “I don’t know what I would do without you guys.” She said. Toothless cooed, and nudged her with his nose. “And what would I do if I didn’t see this guy for the summer?” She said, petting the dragon furiously. They all laughed.

The Farewell Banquet was a very straightforward concept. You sat with your friends, had a good time, feasted on the delicacies most of the students got only at Hogwarts, and forgot that anything was ending or starting. Toothless wasn’t allowed in the Hall, so they four sat together, their voices drowned out by the chatter, but not their laughter. People talked through mouthfuls, and nearly spit out the gulp of their drink that they just took, some choked laughing at the ones who actually did.

The overall atmosphere was joyful, care-free… everything Hogwarts should be and more. 

The students were ushered to bed at around eleven at night. The four, surprisingly, slipped into the Room of Requirement, finding it stupid that they would actually get some sleep rather than spending the night with their friends. Toothless came along too, and all five sat together, played video games, watched T.V., ate some more, and just enjoyed the last night of the school year at Hogwarts.

Slowly, each of them fell asleep. Toothless fell asleep by the fireplace. Hiccup fell asleep curled up next to Jack, who was also asleep, and Lauren and Xavier fell asleep holding hands, their legs tangled together.

They all had smiles on their faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah!! I kind if like the idea that i compared Pitch and Snape, in a way, in this chapter. Because both of them are seemingly really hard but they both really care! (Also, RIP Alan Rickman, he will always be amazing)  
> There's so many references in this chapter!! and so many good things!! Yay!  
> I hope you liked this, and please leave a review!  
> Have a nice day!


	29. Safe

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Safe

** Hiccup’s P.O.V **

I slowly came to my senses, Toothless cooed at me loudly. I groaned, and slowly opened my eyes. And I was shocked. This wasn’t my room… We’re in the Room of Requirement. Oh my gods!

“Guys…” I groaned, my voice not as awake as my mind yet. Gee, thanks voice. “Guys, wake up… we’re gonna miss the train.” Lauren stirred, Jack groaned, and Xavier scrunched his eyes up.

“Crap, guys…” Xavier said. He stood up, pulling Lauren up and onto her feet. She swayed a bit, but then she yawned.

“Hey… Jack?” I said, poking his cheek. He opened one eye, glaring at me. “You gotta wake up. We have to leave…”

“What if I don’t want to leave?” Jack said, no trace of sleep in his voice. I rolled my eyes at him.

“We have to,” I said, getting up. He bounced up onto his feet and kissed my forehead gently.

“Well, better get going before we miss breakfast,” Jack said, not even yawning like the rest of us. Toothless warbled at us. “Yeah, yeah, we get it. Time to go, guys, before all the smoked eel is gone!” Toothless shot him a look, and the glare would have killed someone.

“Aw, c’mon bud, you know he’s just kidding,” I said good-naturedly, rubbing his head. Jack shot him a smile.

“How can you be happy in the morning?” Lauren said, itching her head. Xavier hip-checked her, and she punched him in the arm. “I’m leaving you all before all the good food is gone.” We all followed her out of the Room of Requirement.

The halls were deserted, and there was a loud echo with every one that we walked through. Jack stopped at the Gryffindor Common Room to grab his staff. Toothless bounced ahead of us, looking back at me as if saying “hurry up!” Jack laughed and rolled his eyes, while I just laughed.

“Dude, you could totally just fly home,” Xavier said, still not completely awake yet. “I mean, you and Jack both. You could just… fly out of here.”

“I’d rather take the train,” I said simply. _It gives me more time to enjoy all this than flying would, that’s for sure_. Xavier just shrugged, and Lauren laughed a little.

“If I were you, I would be flying Toothless, like all the time.” She said. I just rolled my eyes at her when we walked into the Great Hall. We sat ourselves down away from everyone else (well, as “away” as we could get, because it was packed). I threw Toothless a cod, and he snapped at it as if he hasn’t eaten in years. Some of the other students laughed and stared at him, as if it was the best freaking show they’ve ever seen in their lives.

Just… no. NO. Look away. There’s nothing to see here.

“I’m going to miss this place…” Xavier said, looking down into his glass and taking a sip of it. “I know we aren’t leaving forever but… still. I think this is the only I year that I’ve never really wanted to leave.”

“Stop being sappy,” Jack dismissed. “You’ll be fine.” He took a bite of those delicious Belgium waffles. I almost pouted; this was going to be the last time I would taste these in forever, or what was going to feel like it anyways. I drowned everything with syrup and ate, stuffing myself with every bite I could fit.

“Students!” North said, standing at the front of the Great Hall. “It has been another great year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! But, is time to leave! Everyone, to the train!” There was disarray as everyone stood up and tried to get out to the train at once. I rolled my eyes at stayed where I was, and so did the rest of us.

“You think everyone’s excited to leave?” Jack muttered in my ear. I barely caught the words, because the noise was so loud. I just laughed at him. We waited until everyone was out of the Hall before leaving.

“Hey Bitesize!” Bunny called. We all looked around, including Toothless. “You gotta change Toothless into a cat for the ride back, mate!” He said.

“I know!” I yelled back.

“Have a happy summer!” He yelled waving.

“You too, Professor!” We all shouted, but Jack substituted the word ‘Professor’ with ‘Kangaroo,’ waving his staff at the professor in farewell. The walk there was short and quiet, all of us taking our last looks at the castles before we had to say goodbye. I saw a thestral near the edge of Forbidden Forest, and it was watching Toothless intently. He warbled at it, and it only nodded its head and disappeared into the shadows.

When we got there, Xavier, Lauren and Jack clambered into the train. I stopped just short of it. I told Toothless to hold still, and he reluctantly did so. I waved my wand, and said the incantation, and in two seconds flat, Toothless was the black cat again, the one with acid green eyes, retractable teeth, a chunk of the tail missing, and a steaming side-order of sass. I heard some students yelling from inside the train. I didn’t know if they were amazed at the spell I just did, or if something extremely stupid happened at the same time.

I scooped Toothless into my arms and stepped up into the train. I started making my way down the packed corridor.

“Hiccup, that was amazing!”

“How did you learn how to do that?”

“Aw! Look it! He’s so cute!” I hoped they were talking about Toothless.

“Hey Hiccup!” Jack said, flying near the ceiling of the train. He was waving at me furiously from down the hall, and I smiled and waved back. I made my way through the crowds, avoiding contact with people as much as necessarily possible. I threw myself into the compartment. Xavier and Lauren were already sitting down, and Jack closed the door behind him. I set Toothless down, and he settled himself in between Lauren and Xavier. Jack sat next to the window, and I sat next to him.

“Well,” Xavier said, scratching Toothless’ head as he spoke. “That’s just another year at Hogwarts done and over with.” I laughed, Jack chuckled, and Lauren gave him a look.

“Is it too late to get off?” Lauren said, looking out the window. Just as she said it, the train lurched, and started to move. She slumped back into her seat. “I don’t wanna go home.” She whined, running her hands through her hair. The she pulled it all to one side and started to braid it.

“Aw, come on,” I said, smiling at her. “Home isn’t all that bad. And it’s only a couple months.” She just rolled her eyes at me as she pulled a rubber band from her pocket and tied the end of her braid.

“We’ll have to meet up at Florean Fortscue’s Shop sometime,” Jack said. “I want ice cream.”

“Everything has to be about food!” Xavier said, flustered. “When the lady with the cart coming? I’m starving!”

“Starving?” I asked. “We just had breakfast!”

“Anything from the cart, dearies?” The lady asked, right outside our door. Xavier shot me a smile.

“Being in the last compartment in the train helps a bit,” He said, looking directly at me. I just rolled my eyes. “Yes please!” He said, opening the door.

He came back in with four chocolate frogs, four boxes of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, and a licorice wand. He passed out the chocolate frogs and Every Flavor Beans as he sat down.

“Thanks,” I said, catching the two items in my lap. Jack ripped open the chocolate frog and popped it in his mouth before it could hop away. Then he pulled out the Wizard Card that came with it.

“Aw, man, I got Dumbledore!” He said, showing it to me. I laughed, pushing the card away.

“Really?” Lauren said, leaning forward. “I’ll trade you! I got Snape!”

“You got Snape?!” Xavier said. “And you want to trade for Dumbledore? Why? Snape’s basically limited edition!”

“I’ve got three of him, but I don’t have Dumbledore!” Lauren said, shoving the card Jack’s way. “What do you say? Deal?” Jack snatched the card and gave her his.

“That was so not a fair trade,” I said, shaking my head at the two of them. Xavier nodded as Jack stowed the card away in his back pocket.

“Yeah it is,” Lauren said, sitting back. “Jack just helped me complete my whole entire collection of Wizard Cards. I could sell them, and that’s worth a million Galleons!” Jack gaped at her, and I laughed. Xavier just blinked. Toothless purred, and rubbed up against Lauren’s side. She petted him gladly.

“Shut up, feline,” Jack mumbled. Toothless shot him a look, but he just rolled his eyes at the cat.

“Aw, don’t feel bad…” I said, poking his sides and making him squirm. “Money isn’t everything!” Jack swatted me away.

“How long did that collection take you?” Xavier asked her. She just smiled.

“Five years, actually.” She said. “First year I was obsessed with them, it slowly just turned into buying chocolate frogs whenever I could and hoarding the cards.”

“That’s unheard of, though, the whole collection!” Jack said. “No one’s done it, ever!”

The whole expression on his face was absolutely priceless; it was like the man who bought a lottery ticket, but it was the ticket after his that was the winning one. I wanted to kiss the disbelieving frown off his face, but I know Lauren probably would have squealed and Xavier would have rolled his eyes and said ‘get a room,’ so I didn’t.

“Well, I’ve done it!” Lauren countered. Toothless meowed loudly, then hopped across the compartment and onto Jack’s lap.

“Oh, and what do you want?” Jack asked, scratching the cat’s head. Toothless shook him off, and out his paws on his chest. “Yes…? Why? What? No! Nonononono… huh? Okaaaay…? Yes! Geez, fine! I get it! Hiccup! Tell him to stop!” He yelled, scooping the cat off him and placing him on my lap.

“Why are you harassing him, bud?” I asked, squishing his face. His acid green eyes were daggers and I laughed. “You’re just upset that you have to be a cat…” I said, letting him go. He huffed, and curled up next to me.  

The rest of the train ride was extremely insane. We talked about absolutely nothing, but it was entertaining to say the least. I was pressed up against Jack most of the time, his arm over my shoulder and my head on his shoulder. We got so bored that we started playing “I Spy.” Toothless won because only Jack knew what he was talking about, but I don’t think that matter all that much.

The lady with the trolley came by again and handed out sandwiches for lunch. They were only ham, but it still tasted good. I gave Toothless a chunk of mine.

Pretty soon, we were at King’s Cross Station. Everyone piled off all at once, but we stayed on for a bit longer. We found our luggage, which was in another cart entirely, and lugged them off of the train.

“Lauwen!” Some little kid screamed and ran up to her. She laughed, letting go of her trunk and hauling the kid into her arms.

“Hey, kiddo!” She said, hugging him. “Miss me?” The kid just buried his face in the crook of her neck, totally content with the world. She laughed, and held the kid up with one hand and grabbing the handle of her trunk with the other. I smiled at them.

We met Lauren’s family… well, the majority of it. I couldn’t remember all the names, but they looked kind enough. With hugs, well-wishes, and promises to see each other soon, Lauren left with them. Xavier ditched us for his older cousin, Todd. He seemed a little frightening, and didn’t even greet him. He just nodded and walked off.

“Don’t worry,” Xavier said, noting the worried look in my eyes. “He’s only here for a bit. My mum’s away for her work, but she’ll be back soon. I’ll see you guys later, okay?” He said, smiling. Jack and I waved goodbye and then he left too.

“So… where’s your Mum?” I asked Jack and he laughed.

“She’s probably around here somewhere. Where’s your dad?” He answered.

“Probably waiting outside the Muggle platform,” I said. I stood up on my tip-toes slightly, and kissed him. “I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you later.” I promised.

“I’ll write you tonight, okay?” Jack asked.

“Definitely,” I said. He pulled me into a hug, and in all honesty, I didn’t want to leave. But, with a sigh, I did.

It wasn’t like it was the end of the world. I’ll be talking with him tonight, and I’ll see him over the summer. And then we’ll be going back to Hogwarts again in no time. Toothless followed me as we walked through the wall and onto the Muggle platform. As I thought, my dad was there waiting.

“Hey dad,” I greeted.

“Hiya Hiccup!” He yelled, pulling me in for a quick, bone-crushing hug. “Let’s get going, yeah?”

“Yeah…” I said. We walked out of the train station and piled into a taxi. The taxi took us to the airport, and I was going to ask what we were doing, when I remembered that we had to go all the way to the States. Well, it couldn’t be that bad.

Dad had already bought tickets, and Toothless had to go with the other pets, but that was okay. I stuffed my sketchbook, a pencil, a ballpoint pen, and the Parchment Communication Paper into my backpack, and we got on the plane.

The flight was quiet, and tedious really. There was a baby a few chairs behind me that never stopped crying, and the mother looked like she was about to burst into tears too, but out of frustration or embarrassment, I don’t know. It was getting a little late, so I pulled out the PCP and set it on top of my sketchbook. I pulled out the pen and waited. Stupid time shift…

“ _Hiccup_?” My name bloomed across the page in a familiar scrawl. I smiled.

“ _I think I know my own name, Frosty_ ,” I wrote back. I could practically see Jack rolling his eyes.

“ _Don’t get sassy with me_.” He wrote back. As soon as they disappeared, more words came up. “ _What are you doing_?”

“… _On a plane. You_?” I said, trying to make it sound like it was no big deal.

“ _Plane? OH! Those hulking pieces of metal that can somehow fly? What the heck? Aren’t you scared of dying?_ ” Jack wrote back quickly. I had to stifle a laugh.

“ _No, but thank you for that interesting input. I totally forgot that this thing could crash at any second._ ” I wrote, and as soon as the words faded, I realized how bad that sounded. “ _I’m fine. Just going home. And you’re ignoring my question_.”

“ _Oh, okay_.” Jack wrote, with a little face next to it. “ _My mom’s asking me all these questions about Hogwarts this year_.” I was about to write something in response, when more words popped up. “ _I’m pretty sure she’s suspicious about us_.”

“ _Why?_ ” I asked.

“ _I keep talking about you_ ,” Jack wrote. I rolled my eyes.

“ _I’m surprised my ears haven’t been ringing_ ,” I said.

“What are you writing, son?” My dad asked gruffly, stretching in his chair as he slightly looked over my shoulder.

“Ah… Nothing.” I said, smiling innocently at him. He just smiled back, knowing that it wasn’t nothing, but also knowing not to push the envelope. He just sat back down and closed his eyes again. He looked extremely funny, this huge man with a wild ginger beard sitting on a plane (no offense, dad, but you’re big enough the throw the plane off of its equilibrium). I held in another laugh.

“ _What?_ ” Jack asked.

“ _It’s an expression. Never mind_.” I replied.

“ _Oh, okay. Hiccup, I have to sleep. Good night…_ ”

“ _Night, Jack… I love you_.” I wrote, sure he was already asleep.

“ _I love you too_.” He wrote back quickly. I laughed out loud, bit my lip, and closed my sketchbook. I let it rest in my lap. I didn’t know how I could have fallen asleep, what with the turbulence and the baby crying and my father snoring like a bear, but I did, somehow.

* * *

 

I has shaken awake, and I yelled a bit. My dad just laughed at my reaction.

“C’mon, time to get off,” He said, his accent thick and masking the care and amusement in his voice. I hummed, and gathered all my things. Then we got off the airplane.

My dad wasn’t nearly as caring as this all the time. It’s sad to say, but me going to Hogwarts is actually a good thing. We don’t have that much in common, and it actually makes him want to improve our relationship during the time that I’m home. He tries his best, and that’s good enough for me, I guess. After we got my trunk from baggage claim and got Toothless from the pet place, we piled into the car, a black Honda Civic, and drove home.

The drive wasn’t all that bad. I let Toothless out of his cage and he sat on my lap the whole entire time. I looked out the window most of the time, while dad hummed along to the radio.

“So, how was Hogwarts?” He asked, a little awkwardly, but you could tell he really wanted to know.

“It was awesome,” I said, a smiling forming on my lips. “I made some new friends.” I added. You should have seen his face, it was as if you just told him that they were giving away prime-rib steaks for free at the butcher store.

“Really?” He asked, and I was torn between feeling happy or offended. “That’s amazing, Hiccup.”

“I’m not that much of hermit,” I remarked, biting back my cheeky smile and rolling my eyes.

“Five years at that school, and you’ve finally made some friends!” He said, returning his attention back on the road. “I’m impressed. When am I going to meet them? Any… girlfriends?” He asked, smiling proudly at me. I reddened.

“W-Well, she’s a girl, and my friend, but she’s not my girlfriend…” I said, scratching Toothless’ back for the lack of anything better to do. A war was waging in my head: to tell or not to tell? Why was this one of the hardest decisions that I could make?

“Friend zone,” My dad scoffed, and I chocked.

“I didn’t think you knew that existed.” I said, chuckling a bit.

“Are you serious?” My dad asked. “It’s been cock-blocking since the beginning of this world!” I had to laugh at that, and I just leaned my head on the cool glass of the window, laughing so hard it hurt to breathe. Dad was laughing too, and he somehow managed to stay on the road and not get us killed.

“I cannot believe you just said that…” I breathed, wiping a tear out from the corner of my eye.

“I was only speaking the truth,” he said, and I laughed again.

“So how’s work?” I asked. My dad worked at a fancy office. It wasn’t his kind of work, and he stuck out like a sore thumb, but it was well-paying and he did his job well. Sometimes the hours are a little bit crazy, though. My dad groaned.

“Ah, that’s what I was forgetting,” He said. “They’re having me work overtime throughout this summer. There’s this really big project we’re working on, and they promoted me to the head of it and-”

“And you need to be there and get it done,” I finished. He looked at me, eyes sorrowful. “I get it. I’m okay. I can stay home anyways,” I said, as if I had something better to do. I had no friends where we lived, but it’s not like I was home all the time anyways.

“Okay,” he said.

Not long after that, we were home. It was a small house, but the inside was way roomier than you would think, and it was way out there, practically nowhere near any neighbors. I thought about my dad being here, alone, and I found that seriously depressing. At least I’m home now… but I’m going to be the depressed one this time around. But it didn’t matter, I had the PCP to pass the time. Toothless ran through the house and slipped into my room. I rolled my eyes and followed.

“It’s good to be home,” I sighed, walking into my room and hauling my trunk next to my bed. I threw it open, and started putting most of my things where they belonged. Books on the shelf, most of the clothes in my drawers, sketchbook on my bed, cauldron and ect. in my closet. I huffed, looking at the empty bottom of my trunk, and then I threw myself onto my bed.

I sat back up, and I rummaged through my backpack and pulled out my sketchbook, the PCP inside. I opened it, placing it on my bed gingerly, before pulling out a quill and some ink. I took the stopper off the ink, and was about to dip the quill in, when I heard yelling.

“No… No! No, that’s all wrong-! I didn’ say anythin’ ‘bout… No! What are you-?” It was dad. Probably on the phone. I rolled my eyes when he started yelling again. “Can’ you do anythin’? No-No! Don’ do anything! I’ll be over in a minute!” I heard him coming up the stairs to my room. He stuck his head in the doorway, and I laid the quill down on my bed.

“Work?” I asked, smiling lightly. My dad wilted.

“Son, I’m really sorry-” He started.

“It’s okay, Dad, really-”

“I feel terrible that you have to-”

“Dad, I’m not a child anymore, I-”

We both stopped trying to get our say in at the exact same time, and laughed a little.

“They need me other there, son.” He said.

“Go, I’ll be fine. I understand.” I said with an earnest smile.

“I’m glad to have you back home, Hiccup.” My dad said.

“Yeah, me too.” I said. “Now go! Don’t they need you?”

“Ah, yes, right!” He said, walking down the stairs as I followed him. “Now, you know the rules-”

“Don’t answer the phone unless it’s you, don’t open the door for anyone, don’t open the shutters on the windows, don’t play my music loud… I know, dad,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

“That’s my boy,” He said, before picking up his coat and briefcase and heading out the door. I locked the door swiftly behind him, and stuffed the keys into my pocket. Then I sighed.

I knew I was going to be home alone at one point, I just didn’t think it would be so soon. I ran upstairs, taking them two at a time and nearly tripping at the top, but I caught myself before my face could hit the carpeted floor and scrambled back into my room. Toothless was curled up on my pillow, and I smiled at him a bit. I walked over and snatched up my book, the quill and ink.

“Hey, bud?” I said. Toothless opened his eyes and watched me. “Dad’s gone. Want some dinner?” I asked. He perked up then, and hopped off my pillow and practically led me to the kitchen. I set everything I grabbed on the counter and rummaged through the kitchen, looking for something Toothless and I could eat. I ended up making some fish for Toothless and a sandwich for me.

I didn’t care what time it was, I didn’t really want to know. I turned on the T.V and lounged on the couch, flicking through channels with Toothless on my stomach. My sketchbook, the PCP, and the quill and ink were right next to me. I don’t know why I keep on getting stuck on watching animal documentaries, but I was watching an episode of Life (the one narrated by Oprah, yeah, those ones) when the PCP came to life.

First it was just my name at the top of the page. But it stayed there for longer than I expected it to. A wavy line appeared under it, and then someone drew a crud cloud around it. I laughed a little, and picked the book up. Toothless hopped out of my lap and curled up by my feet, the warmth of him warming my toes.

I dipped the quill into the ink pot, letting the excess ink drip off before I wrote “ _Jack_ ” in swirling cursive letters striking a line under it. Then I wrote “ _hey_ ” on the side. It wasn’t two seconds later that words scratched onto my paper.

“ _Oh, hey! What’s up_?” Jack wrote. I couldn’t be sure, but I could see him sitting in a corner in the fetal position, thinking that it was stupid to write my name on the page. I almost laughed.

“ _Life… literally. The documentaries. You_?” I wrote back.

“ _Nothing I was just out flying a minute ago and I was just thinking of you_.”

“ _You’re such a cheese head_.” I remarked. “ _I miss you too_.”

“ _How’s your dad?_ ” He asked.

“ _At work_.” I wrote.

“ _So… home alone_?” I reddened at the implication and smacked my forehead. I knew Jack was probably being the little shit he was and smiling at the paper, him and his dirty jokes…

“ _Not like that, Frosty -_-_ ” I scrawled out quickly.

* * *

 

I stayed up until it was practically morning, writing Jack and laughing the whole time. It was sort of like we never left Hogwarts in the first place; if I focused hard enough, it would have felt like we were in the Room of Requirement, goofing off and hiding from the world around us. It would have been perfect… if Toothless didn’t wake me up at nine in the morning, pouncing on my chest like a mad-cat and meowing like crazy.

I rolled out of my bed and went to the kitchen. There was a note on the fridge, from dad.

“ _Left for work. Sorry. Be back as soon as they let me. Help yourself to anything. Be good. You know the rules. –Dad_ ”

I tsk’ed, but only because I was really tired and I was still blearily rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand. I pulled the fridge open and pulled out a plate of leftover fish from yesterday. I placed it on the floor, and Toothless pounced on it hungrily.

Reaching high on my tip-toes, I grabbed a mug from the top shelf and placed it on the counter. I poured myself some coffee, adding creamer and tons of sugar and stirring that up. I took my first sip, and I nearly collapsed, it was that delicious. _Looks like dad made the peppermint coffee I gave him for Christmas two years ago, good thing it had a fifty year freshness guarantee…_  

I shuffled my way to the couch and sat down on it, my legs pulled up comfortably, my hands soaking up all the heat the coffee was radiating. I hummed gladly and took another sip.

“What do you say, bud?” I asked, taking another sip. “Wanna go for a ride?” Toothless perked up, licking his lips as he looked at me. It was extremely funny to look at, and excitement bubbled through my chest. I heard Toothless purr loudly, and I smiled. “Okay, okay. Let me finish this…” I said, sipping at the coffee appreciatively.

For the rest of my cup of coffee, I had Toothless at my side, bumping his head onto my arm, pawing at my legs, those green eyes practically yelling “HURRY UP SLOWPOKE.” I drained the last dregs from the cup, and filled it with water, leaving it in the sink. I ran up the stairs, thinking, “ _Eh, I’ll wash it later_.”

Toothless sat on my windowsill, looking out at what was outside as I got changed. Throwing on my boots, my vest, a long sleeve and some pants, I was ready to go in seconds (well not literally. I was so eager to get going I nearly fell down twice trying to get my pants on and I got stuck trying to pull on my shirt… but I think that was the coffee’s fault). I stuffed my wand in a pocket in my vest.

“Hey Toothless~” I sang, scooping up his flight gear. He looked at me, eyes wide with excitement. “Are we going or what?” With a loud meow, he bolted out of the room and was bouncing at the back door when I got at the bottom of the stairs (after I almost fell down them because of my hastiness, of course). I pushed the door open, and Toothless bounded outside. I pulled my wand out from my vest as Toothless jumped in the air.

Everything felt like it was in slow-motion. I twirled my wand, and dark green sparks shot from it, heading directly towards Toothless. In mid-air, the spell struck, and Toothless fell to the earth as a Night Fury. I laughed, noting how cool that was in my head, stuffed my wand in my vest again, and ran over. I took me a bit longer than I expected to in order to get his flight gear on, but besides that, it was perfect. I hopped on quickly, and we were in the air before you could scream “MERLIN’S BEARD!”

I was laughing before I became aware of anything else. Toothless warbled in response. How long had it been since we went flying? The wind felt good against my skin, as if it was welcoming me back into the skies. We were almost flying vertical, and suddenly, Toothless stopped flapping his wings and fell backwards. I let out a yell, panicked at first, but then Toothless flipped over and pulled out of a dive, and my yell became another laugh.

And then… we were spinning. Blood was pumping noisily in my ears, but I didn’t care, and my vision was a little blurred, but that was only because of how fast we were spinning. Toothless coasted up, high above anything else, and just rested up in the sky. The clouds were so close, I could practically touch them, but I knew not to; last time I did that, I came out soaked. Instead, I collapsed on top of Toothless’ head, my arms beneath my head, my fingers rubbing his black scales absently.

“I miss this…” I found myself whispering. Toothless made to turn and look at me, a gummy smile on his face, but he wasn’t really successful. Instead, he turned around sharply and flew like the devil was on his ass, leaving me scrambling to get a good grip on his harness. “Toothless!” I chastised. He retaliated by hitting me with one of his ear fins.

He flew me home, landing in the backyard that was basically a few yards away from the edge of the woods. I slipped off him, then poked the dragon’s side harshly, making him flop on his back, kicking his legs.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack!” I said, punctuating every word with a poke. He warbled at me, and I sat on the floor pointedly. Then I sighed. “Okay, come on. Get up. We need to get in before dad has a hissy fit for being outside.” Toothless rolled his eyes, but he stood up and let me take of his flight gear. I pulled out my wand with barely a flourish and turned him into the cat-version on him before he could protest. I hauled the gear on my arm and went into the house.

It was quiet in the house, and it made me want to turn around and go outside again. But dad would kill me if I blatantly disobeyed what he said and did what I wanted anyways. There was nothing to do. I put everything and flopped onto my bed, my face hitting my pillow harshly.

“It’s going to be a long summer…” I said, my pillow muffling my words.

* * *

 

**Two Weeks Later…**

* * *

 

“Hiccup!”

“Coming!” I said, running down the stairs quickly. I almost fell again, but that was normal. “Yeah, dad?” I asked.

“Mail.” He said gruffly, pointing over his shoulder at the familiar owl that hovered outside the kitchen window. I smiled, then ran outside. The owl was tawny, with a little beak and sharp talons. I stuck my arm out, and it perched there. It hurt, but only a bit. I untied the paper that was strapped to its leg and looked at it. I laughed. Of course it was from Lauren.

_“Dear Hiccup_

_How’s summer? Hopefully you’re not completely dying of boredom yet! And how’s Toothless?_

_I’m okay, thanks for asking. You probably won’t get it, but I think I’ve gone insane. Everyone’s driving me up the walls, and they aren’t even using magic! I’m thinking about it now, and Hogwarts was heaven._

_I miss all four of you really bad. Do you think we could meet up soon? Diagon Alley has some discounts this time of year, so I’ve heard. We could get everyone together for a day, and just hang out like we did._

_Crap, Mum is calling me. I hope you’re okay. Give Toothless lots of love, and tell your dad I said hi!_

_Love,_

_Lauren Cannonblast”_

I laughed, then went back inside, the tawny owl still on my arm. My dad rolled his eyes, and turned back to the newspaper. Toothless roamed over, circling my ankles and looking at the owl.

“No, Toothless. You can’t eat him, he’s Lauren’s.” I chastised. Toothless wilted a bit, then walked away from me.

“Lauren?” My dad asked, perking up a bit. I rolled my eyes, grabbing a pen and a piece of lined paper from my dad’s stack.

“Just a friend, dad,” I said. “She has a boyfriend. Didn’t I tell you this before?” I started scrawling out a letter to her.

“I know, just making sure…” He mumbled. “I swear, Hiccup,” he said, probably just realizing the owl was still on my arm. “If that _thing_ makes a mess in the house…”

“I’ll clean it up if that happens.” I said. “And it’s not a _thing_ , it’s an owl. And calm down. I’ll send it off in a second. Oh, and she says hi.”

_“Dear Lauren_

_Sure, that sounds like fun. I’ll probably have to ask my dad about the whole thing. He still thinks that you’re my girlfriend. Whoops._

_Toothless misses you, a whole bunch actually. I think he’ll like seeing you, X and Jack again. He’s getting sassier by the day._

_My dad’s driving me nuts too, but I’m sort of glad that I don’t have any little people running around trying to press my buttons. Sorry. Maybe you should come over some day… when my dad’s gone of course, because that’ll give him too many ideas._

_Write you again soon!_

_Love,_

_Hiccup Haddock the Third”_

I tied the paper to the owl and sent him off on his way again. My dad relaxed visibly and I almost laughed at him. It was almost funny how being around magic scared him, and I was glad that we weren’t allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts. My dad would probably never speak to me again.

I shook my head, biting the inside of my bottom lip to stop me from laughing, and I ran up the stairs, Toothless following me. I grabbed my sketchbook and went back down stairs. I sat at the table and grabbed the pen.

“ _Hey. Lauren wants to meet up soon. You game_?” I wrote out carefully. As soon as I finished, the words faded away slowly until there was nothing left.

“What are you doing now?” My dad asked.

“Writing,” I said, pointing out the obvious. He just gave me a look. “It’s my… other friend. Jack.”

“And how are you going to get it to him?” He asked. “We don’t have an owl.”

“Actually, it’s… this paper,” I said, making him look at it. “It’s magic. When you write on it, it appears on the other half of the page. It’s… sort of like instant messaging, but for wizards.”

Just then, the words popped up, and my dad read them, his eyes widening. I pulled the paper back, and read what Jack wrote.

“ _Sounds good. But maybe you and I should meet up later, just us… if you know what I mean_.” There was a winking face next to the words. The blood rushed to my cheeks as I snapped the book shut and I could see the steam coming out of my dad’s ears.

“What was that all about?” He roared.

“Nothing! It was nothing!” I said, trying to back away, but he just stood up and matched me step for step.

“Don’t say that was nothing! You wouldn’t be acting like this if it was nothing!”

“He-He was kidding! He jokes around with things like that!” I said. I nearly forgot how scary my dad got when he was angry.

“He!” He yelled indignantly. “I don’t want you talking to him anymore!”

“You can’t do that!” I yelled, throwing my hands up angrily. “You’ve never even met him!”

“I do not want you talking to the likes of him!” He yelled back, matching my anger and overdoing it my a million times. It was enough to make me shake in fear, but I was too outraged to care by now. “It’s unnatural and wrong, and it’ll rub off on you!”

“Well, it’s too late for that!” I yelled, not thinking as the words tumbled out of my mouth. My dad’s face became stone-blank, but I was too angry to care or to shut my mouth, because I kept on talking. “I’ve been gay ever since I was eleven and you never even had a problem! And you can’t tell me to stop talking to Jack! I love him!”

My dad’s blank face changed. The smooth emotionless stare turned into a smoldering glare. He looked only moderately angry, but you could tell there was utter and unadulterated rage underneath the surface.

“What?” He spat, stepping closer to me. He would have been in my face if he wasn’t so much taller than me. “You love him?” His voice was the same moderate calm as his face, and it stuck fear through me. “You’re a faggot?!”

“D-dad, I…” I was hit across the face with a gigantic closed fist. I dropped to the floor like a hot rock. I should have been knocked out, and it was a wonder I wasn’t.

“And you dare come back to me and look me in the eye?!” He roared. I scrambled backwards blindly, and I felt something hot on my chest. Toothless meowed loudly from the top of the stairs, a growl bubbling in his chest as he ran at my dad. He landed on his head, scratching his face up pretty badly, before he grabbed the cat and threw him across the room. He fell on his feet, but he must have fell wrong, because he yowled in pain. He kicked me, and I heard a crack, probably a rib, and the air was forced out of me.

I inhaled shakily, looking up at my dad fearfully. His hands were fists and he leaned over and grabbed my vest, pulling me up and holding me in the air with one hand. He drew his fist back, and I cringed.

Then a soft blue light exploded from nowhere, bathing the room and illuminating everything in its light. Then temperature dropped significantly, and I started to shiver. I opened my eyes quickly, and it was snowing. _Snowing_. In the house. In the middle of summer. I half-expected my dad’s punch to continue its current path, but I looked at him, and his eyes were moving around erotically. It was… it was like he couldn’t move.

There was a biting cold on my chest, and it ran through me, bleeding through my clothes and making my fingers and toes numb. The sense just dawned on me that I could actually look down, and when I did, I yelled a little.

“My necklace!” I breathed out. The necklace… the one Jack gave me… I swear it was hidden under my shirt, but now… it was floating slightly, and glowing bright blue, the same blue as the light that shone everywhere. My necklace couldn’t be causing this… could it?

The snow that was in the house turned into a full on blizzard, and the flurries swirled around the house like a mini-tornado. I was expecting it to be much colder than it was, but the snow didn’t come close to me. But it swirled around my dad. His grip on the front of my shirt, and it turned tighter. His skin turned slightly blue, and his eyes stopped moving.

Not three seconds later, he was completely frozen. I just stared at him, scared at first, but then I was still in the air. I flailed around aimlessly, and I fell on the floor harshly.

My dad was frozen. My dad tried to beat me up. My necklace saved me. It was snowing in my house. Toothless was hurt.

“Toothless?” I called, crawling over to him slowly. I could feel the bruise forming over my face, and it hurt to talk. Toothless limped over to me, and surveyed me with his large green eyes. “’m okay bud, are you hurt?” He lifted his paw slightly, but then put it back down, deeming it not important.

My dad was frozen.

What the hell am I supposed to do? If I leave him, he’ll die of hypothermia or he’ll starve. I can’t call the cops! What would they think? And if this ice was anything special or magical, they wouldn’t be able to melt him anyways… The Ministry?

There was a sharp crack, and a metallic zing, and there was a person standing right in front of me. They were dressed in the Ministry robes, and they looked around slightly, before looking down at me. They gasped, and knelt down. It was a woman, she had kind blue eyes and short brown hair.

“My boy,” She said, taking my chin and lifting it up, getting a better look at the bruise on my face. “What happened?”

“Are… are you from the Ministry?” I managed to choke out, grimacing as I did so. She nodded, and then smiled a little sadly at me.

“I’m from the Y.W.P.S.” She said. “Young Wizard Protective Services.”

“How… how did you-?” She put a hand on my shoulder.

“I don’t think that matters right this second.” She said kindly. “Do you have anywhere to stay? Any family or friends that would take you in for a while?” I blinked at the question, baffled. Of course, my dad was frozen and was probably going to be in jail for a while for domestic violence. I should have seen this coming.

“I-I think my friend would…” I said. She smiled.

“Contact them and find out, okay? If not, we’ll have to put you in a foster home for the time being.” She informed me. I didn’t want that. The woman helped me up onto my feet, and I looked around the floor. I dropped the sketchbook when he attacked me.

There! It was on the floor. I went to pick it up, and almost fell on my face in the process. I picked up my ballpoint pen, flipped to the PCP, and wrote:

“ _Jack?_ ” I waited. “ _Jack… I need your help_ …”

“ _Hiccup? What’s wrong_?” He responded, his handwriting messier than usual in his haste.

“ _I need somewhere to stay for a while_ ,” before I could finish my sentence, the ink faded through the paper and the response was immediate.

“ _You could stay at my place. We have more than enough room. Could you make it to King’s Cross? I’ll meet you there_.”

“ _Okay. I’ll leave soon_.” I replied.

“ _See you soon, Freckles_.”

I turned back to the lady.

“My friend said I could stay with him.” I said, and she smiled. “But I would have to meet him at King’s Cross Station. That’s in Britain.”

“I know, my boy,” She said kindly. “Go grab your stuff, and I could Apparate you there.”

“My cat, too, ma’am?” I asked. “He means the world to me.”

“Yes, the cat, too. Hurry up now, okay?” She said. I nodded and made my way up the stairs. I stuffed some clothes and other necessities into my backpack, along with my sketchbook, and went back down the stairs. “Ready to go?” She asked me. I shimmied past my dad’s frozen body. Deep down inside, I hoped that he was going to be okay. I didn’t want him to die.

Toothless hopped into my arms and snuggled up to me as close as possible. The woman smiled at the two of us, and she grabbed my hand tightly. Then she turned sharply, and with a loud crack, I felt like I was being shoved into a tube that was too small. It was drawing the air out of me, and it was restricting my lungs so I couldn’t take a breath. I felt like I was about to faint when my feet hit solid ground. I took a deep breath, gasping. Toothless hopped out of my arms and stumbled around blindly, his eyes dizzy and he looked like he was about to fall over.

“I need to get back and make sure they deal with your father appropriately.” She said. “We’ll interview you about what happened today when everything has settled down, if that’s alright with you.”

“Yes, that’s fine,” I said blankly. She patted my shoulder, and hesitantly gave me a hug.

“Your friend is coming?” She asked, breaking away from me quickly. I guess it was against the work conduct to help the victims.

“He should be.” I said, then I shook my head. “Yes, he is.”

“Good.” She said. “I hate to leave you alone like this, but I have to. I’ll see you late, Mr. Haddock.” She smiled kindly, and with a sharp crack, she was gone.

There were Muggles everywhere, and they looked at me curiously. I guess they had a reason to; a small kid, with a bruise forming on the side of his face, with a backpack and a cat, I’m sure they thought I was a runaway. I kept my head down, and sat patiently by the wall in between the platforms 9 and 10. The wall was solid now, no need for anyway to get to Platform 9 ¾ after Hogwarts is on break. Toothless sat on my lap, nuzzling my face every once and a while and purring loudly. I think he was trying to calm me down.

I checked out his paw as we waited. It didn’t look so bad, it was only sprained, well, that was my best guess. I leaned my head back against the wall, feeling utterly exhausted as I pet Toothless tiredly. My eyes were drooping, about to fall asleep for lack of anything better to do…

“Hiccup?” Someone called. My eyes snapped open, and I saw Jack, standing not six feet away. “Hiccup!” My face broke out into the widest smile in history, and I sprang up from the ground, spilling Toothless on the floor accidentally. I took a couple steps forward, but Jack already had me gathered up in his arms, pressing kisses to the top of my head and holding me close. I laughed, hugging him back. He smelled like freshly fallen snow and peppermint and pine leaves. Tears came to my eyes and I let them fall silently.

“I missed you…” I said, curling my fingers in the front of his hoodie (yes he was wearing a hoodie in summer). He held me away from him, and he brushed the hair out of my face gently.

“What happened, Hiccup?” He asked lovingly (as cheesy as it sounded, it was the only way to describe the care and worry in his voice at the moment). His eyes trailed down, and I knew they locked onto my necklace. He picked it up gently, running his thumb over the intricately carved surface. He bit his lip uncharacteristically, and he looked up at me. “It had to protect you?” He asked quietly.

“So you knew?” I asked. “You made it do that?”

“D-don’t be mad at me…” Jack said. “I only wanted to make sure you were okay…”

“I’m not mad!” I said, grabbing his hand. “It saved my life. I just… why didn’t it do that when Rob was-?”

“It knows when you’re in serious danger,” Jack said quickly. “Not that you weren’t in danger then, it just picks up on the things around you. It only really works when you’re defenseless and no one’s around to stand up for you.” I hugged him again, this time it was totally unprecedented, and he took a step back.

“Thank you,” I breathed, burying my face in the crook of his neck. He rested his head on mine, messing with my hair and pressing feather-light kisses to my hair.

“I should get you to my house,” Jack said. “People are started to stare a bit.”

“Let them stare,” I said, twisting up and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

I just noticed that Jack’s staff was on the ground, carelessly abandoned by its owner, and he bent and picked it up. Toothless circled around his ankles, and he gave the cat a scratch on the head.

I don’t know how we managed to get out of there, but we did. It was… complicated, to say the least. The streets were crowded with Muggles, and Jack couldn’t take both me and Toothless with only his staff to have him fly. It would be too much. We ended up roaming the streets near the train station until it was nightfall. When no one was looking, I cast the spell on Toothless, and we rode off, Jack in the lead and heading towards his house.

His house was… quiet modest, to say the least. It was a small wooden cottage literally in the middle of the woods. It had a lake a couple yards away. It was beautiful to say the least. The sight of it made me sigh a little, it felt homey.

“Welcome to the Frost Residence, Mr. Haddock,” Jack said, bowing playfully. I laughed at him as he held the door open for me to go inside. I loved the inside just as much. The design was simple, and it was clean. I smiled a little. I could see me living here. I let out a little sigh.

I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I just numbly walked over to the couch and collapsed onto it. Laying there, Toothless leaned over next to me, and I unconsciously petted him, not even wondering how he could have fit through the door in the first place. I saw Jack run into another room, and I didn’t question it. It was his house after all, and he could do whatever. I stared up at the ceiling, and all I could think about was the disgusted and angry look on my dad’s face.

“ _It’s unnatural and wrong! ... And you dare come back and look me in the eye_?!” Those were the words ringing in my ears, and it broke me a little. Just how long was I doing everything I did to impress my dad? How long was it that every thought I had was to please my dad, to make him proud, to live up to be the son he wanted? Toothless purred deeply, and I placed my hand on his snout, petting it soothingly, but for him or me, I don’t know.

Something tapped my foot, and I opened my eyes. Jack was standing there, a smile on his face, holding two mugs of… something.

“Wanna move?” He asked. I sat up, rubbing the pinpricks that were tears out of my eyes. He plopped down on the couch next to me, and handed me one of the mugs. I found out it was hot chocolate and took a sip.

“Thanks, Jack,” I said, looking at him gratefully. “For everything.”

“No problem,” He said. “But… I think I deserve an explanation.” His smile was gentle, and slightly to the side. I took another sip, trying to delay anything for as long as physically possible. When I saw that look in his eyes, I knew I could tell him. Why did I ever doubt that I couldn’t?

“I told him I loved you,” I said, looking into those blue eyes that widened considerably. “And he got mad. He… hit me, and that’s how I got… well, this,” I said gesturing to the side of my face. It was probably swollen and an interesting shade of purple. “And then he kicked me. He was going to do, well, more, but that’s when the necklace glowed and it froze him. I fell and then this witch came and told me to go with someone… so I told you and…”

Jack reached out and touched my face, the cold of his hand making me sigh. He scooted closer and pulled me towards him until I was basically on his lap. He took his hand away from my face briefly. He lifted it to his mouth and exhaled into his palm. I was wondering what he was doing until his breath swirled around his palm and formed a snowball. He handed it to me, and I pressed it onto my face slowly.

“It should help with the swelling,” Jack said, quietly. “I should have thought of it sooner. Hiccup… I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

“You don’t need to be,” I mumbled.

“But everything’s going to get a lot better, now,” He murmured, kissing my forehead. The door opened, and someone walked in. Their hood on their cloak was pulled up. “Hey mom,” Jack said, not even moving in the slightest.

The person threw back their hood, and they had kind blue eyes and short brown hair. My eyes widened as I realized who she was; the woman from Y.W.P.S who helped me today.

“Mr. Haddock,” She said, a little shocked, but there was a smile on her face as she regarded me. “Well, I’m glad to see that you are in good hands.” I blushed and Jack looked at me.

“You know each other?” He asked.

“She’s the one that helped me today,” I said, smiling a little.

“You know, I’m not supposed to bring work home with me,” She said, putting her hands on her hips. “But I think I can make an exception.” Jack smiled, and hugged me tighter. “You two should be asleep by now,” she said. We got up off the couch and Jack directed me to his room. Toothless followed us, and Jack’s mom didn’t even seem fazed that there was a dragon in her house (albeit a relatively small one, but still).

Jack’s room was big enough for Toothless to curl up in a corner and fall asleep. I wandered into the bathroom, took a shower, and pulled on my pajamas. Jack was writing something quickly, and then he rushed out of the room quickly. I sat on his bed and waited there. I heard hushed voices, an owl hoot, and then Jack was back in his room, in his pajamas too.

“What was that all about?” I asked. We crawled into his bed, and Jack held me as if he was scared that I would disappear into thin air. I found it oddly comforting, really.

“Nothing, just had to send a letter,” He said, smiling. “Goodnight, Freckles,” He said. I tilted my head up and meshed out lips together. The kiss was a little heated, but he broke it off before anything went further than that.

“Goodnight, Frosty,” I said.

* * *

** Lauren’s P.O.V **

“ _Oh Captain! My captain! Our fearful trip is done! The ship had weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won_!” I recited dramatically in the mirror.

“Lauren!” Someone yelled. I ignored it.

“ _The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting! While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring_!” I continued, my voice taking on someone different, someone proud and satisfied.

“Lauren!” The person who called me sounded sterner.

“Coming!” I yelled back, and I looked into my mirror once more. “ _But O heart! Heart! Heart! O the bleeding drops of red. Where on the deck my Captain lies, fallen cold and dead_!” I finished the stanza dramatically and then rushed out of my room. “Yes mom?” I asked.

“You’ve got something,” she said, not looking up from the magazine she was reading. Yes, she was reading a magazine at night. I blinked at her, a little puzzled, but then I saw two owls perched next to the fireplace. I walked over there quickly. My owl, bizarrely named Bear, chirped at me, and I petted his head with one finger as I pulled the paper off of his foot. Hiccup responded. He said his dad was driving him nuts and that he would like to meet up. I smiled, and turned to the snowy owl next to Bear.

“ _Xavier and Lauren,_

_Hey! Happy summer. Look, not to be a downer, but Hiccup just got into some serious trouble and I think he needs us all there. We’ll be in Diagon Alley tomorrow. Please come meet us there._

_See ya,_

_Jack Frost_

_P.S. The owl’s not going to stop pestering you if you don’t give him a reply, so don’t try to kill him, just write ‘okay’ or something after this. Thanks!_ ”

I blinked a couple times at the paper, and I think I reread it a million times. I looked back at Hiccup’s letter, then at Jack’s. He seemed perfectly fine. It must have happened after he sent this.

“Hey Mum?” I asked.

“Mm?”

“Can I go to Diagon Alley tomorrow?” I asked, looking hopefully at her. She took off her glasses, set the magazine down and gave me a hard look.

“Lauren-” She sighed.

“Mum, before you say anything, I’ve been helping out a lot, and I’ve been saving my money, and my friend is in trouble and he needs me there for him.” I said rushed, making my mom stare at me, her words dying in her throat as she blinked. “Please, Mum~”

“Fine, you can go.” She said. “Do you need me to drive you there?” She asked.

“Ah… no.” I said, rubbing at the back of my neck. “I was thinking of just flying over there… with my broom.” She looked at me her eyes clearly saying, ‘ _really?_ ’ I rolled my eyes at her and her non-apparent worry. “I’ll be fine, Mum.”

“Okay, then.” She said. The snowy owl jabbed at the back of my hand with its beak.

“Ow~” I said. I picked up a pen, and scrawled out:

“ _I’ll be there. I hope everything’s okay. –L_ ”

I tied the letter back on the owl’s leg, and it flew off again, through the chimney. My mother looked unfazed by it all, and she put back on her glasses.

“Well, you better get to sleep,” She said. I smiled.

“Good night,” I said, kissing the top of her head before running off and going to bed.

* * *

** Xavier’s P.O.V **

“I’m bored…. Oh, I’m so booooored~” I said, for lack of nothing else to do.

“Xavier!” Chris yelled.

“Coming!” I yelled, rolling off my bed and wrenching the door open. “What’s up?”

“Did you order an owl or something?” Chris asked, holding an arm up to show me the snowy owl that was perched on her arm. It contrasted with her reddish-brown hair and tan complexion greatly.

“No, but I’ll take it anyways,” I said, holding my arm next to hers. “C’mon, pretty owl, step up,” I coaxed. It hopped from Chris’ arm to mine, and petted its head. “Well, aren’t you beautiful?” I said, stripping the paper off of its leg and reading it. My jaw dropped, as I read.

“What is that, Xavier?” Todd asked, his slate grey eyes surveying me harshly.

“A letter, from my friend, Jack,” I said numbly. “I have to meet up with them tomorrow.” There was a resolution in my voice that made Todd look at me questioningly.

“Really, Xavier?” He asked. “Do you really have a choice?”

“No, I don’t. My other friend, Hiccup, well, all it says is that he got in trouble and he needs us…”

“Xavier Bloodstone! You will not be going!” Todd yelled.

“Todd, knock it off and just let him go!” Chris countered, her voice louder than Todd’s. “You’ve been keeping him cooped up here all summer. He’s a young man, he needs time to himself!”

“He’s been given plenty of time to himself!” Todd reasoned.

“Todd, please… they need me…” I said, quietly. I knew he had a soul in there somewhere, I just haven’t found it for most of the time that I’ve known him. He was usually unconcerned most of the time, but he was always strict about me leaving for some reason. But now, he looked at me with pity in his eyes, and that was a first.

“This one time, Xavier.” He said. “This one time, you can go.”

“You can go however many times you would like to, X,” Chris said fiercely.

“You are not his mother,” Todd said coldly.

“I might as fucking well be!” She yelled back.

“This is why I’d rather be at Hogwarts,” I said, just loud enough for them to hear me. My hair was turning dark, and I was pretty sure my eyes were red. “At least no one fights all that much there. I’ll see you in the morning. Maybe.” I turned around and walked it into my room, slamming the door after me.

It wasn’t this bad last year. It was okay last year. But now they’re always fighting. Todd shouldn’t be here, I even knew it. But when he heard that my mom was away on business… well, he just had to step in. I rolled my eyes, and nearly forgot that I had an owl on my arm.

“Whoops, sorry beautiful,” I said, letting the owl perch on top of my bed. I grabbed a fountain pen and started writing.

“ _You can bet your ass I’ll be there! See you all soon! –X.B_.”

I threw open my window and tied the paper back onto the owl’s leg. Then I stuck my arm outside and the owl hooted once, nipping at my hair gingerly, before flying off into the night sky.

* * *

** Jack’s P.O.V **

“Hiccup, come on!” I said, pulling at his hand gently. He laughed at me, and hurried up a little bit. Toothless trailed on behind us, a little slower so he couldn’t knock anything down. I dodged a person selling the Daily Prophet; it must have been a slow press day, because Hiccup’s story was on the cover, well, what they knew about it and what they released to the general public.

“Jack, you know I can walk by myself, you know,” Hiccup said, his sass clearly showing. I gave him a wide smile over my shoulder. Well, at least he was feeling better. Yesterday he scared me with how… sad he was. I knew everyone got sad, but I hoped that I could bring Hiccup out of his funk quicker than that.

“I know, I’m just not letting you!” I said, pulling him closer and slinging an arm around his waist. He laughed, and Toothless snorted.

“ **What are we doing in this market of sorts**?” Toothless asked, sniffing around the stores. I clicked my tongue at him.

“Calm down, you impatient lizard. We’re just getting some ice cream,” I said, rolling my eyes. Toothless narrowed his eyes at me.

“Hey guys!” Xavier called from up the Alley. “Whoa, Hiccup, your face is insane…”

“Gee, thanks for pointing that out, X,” He said, crossing his arms across his chest.

“I’m just pointing out the obvious,” Xavier said, raising his hands up in defense. “So what happened?” He asked.

“You could probably read all about it in the Daily Prophet in about three days’ time,” Hiccup said, his voice dry. “I go in for interrogation tomorrow morning.”

“You know you’ll be okay,” I said, ruffling his hair. “My mom’s running the investigation, so it’s not like you’ll be talking to a stranger.” Xavier looked at me a little oddly, but he let it slide. Good, I owe him one. The subject dropped suddenly, and it was only us walking comfortably down Diagon Alley.

“Guys!” A feminine voice said. We turned around, and Lauren was rushing towards us, holding a broom in her hand. “Sorry, they just let me leave,” She said with a small smile. Xavier rolled his eyes and gave her a hug.

“Story of my life,” he mumbled. She pecked his cheek, then turned to me and gave me a hug. Then she stopped in front of Hiccup.

“Ack,” she said softly, pulling him into a soft hug, which he returned. “I’m not even going to ask,” she said. “So! Who wants ice cream?”

We spent the whole day browsing around just about all the shops in the Alley, and if you think that was virtually impossible, think again (if Lauren could collect all the Wizard Card, well, we could go through all the shops in Diagon Alley!). We got thrown out just before four o’clock. Apparently, the owner of the shop has been watching us goof around in every store, then leave, and he didn’t want that in his store.

The new owner of Florean Fortescue’s gave us free ice cream as we were leaving, only because she recognized Hiccup from the Prophet. But she didn’t let her pity show all that much. But right after we left the shop, Hiccup glared daggers at the front window (he still ate the ice cream).

“Thanks for coming guys,” He said quietly, after we were found ourselves in the Leaky Cauldron. People stared at Toothless, but after we assured he was harmless, they left us alone.

“Of course, dude,” Xavier said, smiling. The tips of his hair was purple, contrasting with the original blonde, and his eyes were a deep brown.

“Yeah, no problem,” Lauren assured.

“X, is your hair purple?” I asked. He blinked at me.

“I thought you figured it out by now.” Xavier said blankly.

“Figured what out?” I asked, confused.

“He’s a Metamorphagus.” Hiccup said, pushing my shoulder. “Duh.” I almost slapped my forehead. That explained a lot.

“I feel like an idiot…” I murmured. The three of them laughed, and Toothless threw in a little laugh of his own invention (in reality, it sounded like he was choking and was about to throw up. The startled looks on everyone else’s faces made us laugh a little more).

“Crap, what time is it?” Xavier asked. We all looked at the clock. 6 o’clock even. “I’ve got to get going.”

“Me too,” Lauren said. We all stood up and said our goodbyes. Xavier actually hugged Hiccup, which shocked me a bit, but it was nice. Lauren almost cracked my ribs and she yelled about how we had to do this again sometime. We all laughed and agreed. Lauren and Xavier lavished Toothless with pets, coos, and quick kisses on the top of his head. Then they left.

“You did this for me, didn’t you?” Hiccup asked as soon as they were gone.

“What? I have no idea what you’re talking-”

“You’re a terrible liar,” he said, cutting me off. I smiled. He stood on his toes and kissed me. “Thanks.”

“You keep thanking me when I’m just doing my job,” I said with a smile. “Come on, Mom will be furious if we’re home late.”

We flew off and we were home in minutes. Hiccup and Toothless shared a silent look, and with a nod, Toothless wandered outside and settled himself at the edge of the lake. We walked inside and I gave Hiccup a little look.

“What’s Toothless doing?” I asked curiously. Hiccup just smiled, and I noticed some mischief hidden in those crooked teeth and slightly thin lips.

“Ah, nothing,” He said, walking towards me and tugging at the bottom of my sweater.

“What are you doing?” I said, trying to push the material back down.

“You always wear this!” He insisted, grabbing the hem and pulling it up and over my head, my hands still stuck in the sleeves. “Take it off! Don’t you ever wash that thing?” His eyebrows quirked interestingly, and I pulled my hands out of the sleeves slowly.

“It doesn’t need to be washed if it’s not dirty…” I mumbled. Hiccup rolled his eyes at me and grabbed my hand.

“That’s just gross, dude,” He said, pulling me to my room, laughing.

He sat me on the edge of my bed, and I just blinked at him. Hiccup slipped onto my lap, his hands winding around my neck, and he pulled me into a hard kiss. It was shocking, really, and it caught me off guard, but as he licked at my bottom lip, I was hooked. I grabbed his waist as our tongues battled for dominance (it was a fearful stalemate, mind you). His hands grabbed at my hair perfectly, and I let out a moan. I felt him smile, that little shit. We broke away for air, just a bit, and he started taking off his vest and kicking off his boots.

“Hiccup… wha-?” I asked. I was cut off by the look Hiccup gave me. He pushed me down gently and he leaned over me. He meshed our lips together again and he ground his hips against mine harshly. We both moaned. I worked a hand up and pressed it against his chest, breaking the kiss.

“I’m not… are you sure this is-?” I started to ask. _Are you sure this is the best time to do this? You have an interrogation to worry about and my mom will be home any second, and you just got beat up by your dad. Are you sure_?

“I’ve never been this sure about anything,” He said, pressing another kiss on my lips. “Please? ~” He asked.

That broke me.

“Fine then,” I said, flipping him so that I was on top. The kisses were heated now, his fingers tugging at my hair as my fingers fumbled blindly, trying to get his pants off.

**…**

Slightly awkward as that have might been, the afterglow hung over us like the stars did in the sky. I collapsed, and Hiccup snuggled up against me. He had the dopiest smile on his sweat-covered face. I kissed him, this time a bit more lovingly than out of passion alone.

“Hmph,” Hiccup laughed. “Need a shower…” He said brokenly.

“Too tired to care,” I mumbled in reply. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He said.

Sticky, tired, dirty, and completely and totally elated, we both fell asleep in each other’s arms.

* * *

 

**Three Years Later...**

* * *

 

Hiccup and Jack walked across the beach, their hand linked together and swinging slightly in between them. The new engagement rings fit snugly on the appropriate fingers, the metal glinting cheerfully in the sunset’s light. 

“Can you believe it’s been three years?” Jack asked, his voice completely in awe. Hiccup laughed.

“Three years since what?” He asked. “A lot happened three years ago.”

“… Everything, really.” Jack said. “Us talking, and then dating…”

“My dad,” Hiccup said, resentment creeping into his voice as he said it. Hiccup had forgiven him a long time ago, but after his dad had got out of prison… well, Hiccup didn’t live with him after that. He could tell his dad still was angry and slightly hurt about his sexuality (because his son didn’t trust him enough to tell him when he found out), and Hiccup didn’t want there to be a record of violence on his dad’s file. He tried to talk to him, but everything was clipped, cut short, awkward, tense. Hiccup reluctantly stopped trying after a while.

“That’s over now,” Jack said, squeezing his hand and pulling his new fiancé out of the thoughts he was most definitely thinking at this point.

“I still wish I could have done something…” Hiccup said. Jack pulled him into a quick and warm hug, then pressed a semi-chaste kiss on his lips.

“There’s nothing you can do,” Jack said, wincing at how cruel that sounded. “I mean, you can’t make your dad…”

“I know,” Hiccup said. They kept walking. “How did this happen, anyways?” He asked, lifting their linked hands into the air. “I mean, we liked each other since first year, and we never said anything! How did this-?”

“Well, we started talking in Transfiguration at the start of fifth year,” Jack said. Hiccup rolled his eyes playfully.

“I know that,” He said. “But… how did you work up the guts to actually say something? Because I know that I would have never said anything!”

“We were so dense…” Jack said, laughing. “But I actually worked up the nerve because Lauren told me that you liked me.” Hiccup laughed.

“I remember I made her swear not to tell anyone,” he said, resting his head on Jack’s shoulder. “I’m glad she told you that day though.” Hiccup’s head snapped back up, and Jack looked at him bizarrely.

“What?” Jack asked, laughing at Hiccup’s sudden action.

“Remember the Christmas Ball?” Hiccup said. “And the mistletoe after we were done dancing?” Jack’s eyes widened.

“Yeah…” Jack said, uncomprehending at first. Then his breath caught. “Do you think Lauren had anything to do with it?”

“I’ll bet my last coin that she was,” Hiccup said surely. Jack burst out laughing.

“So… oh my gods…” Jack said, barely being able to breathe. “Lauren… was ultimately the reason why we got together in the first place?”

“Oh my gods, she is!” Hiccup said laughing too. They laughed together as the sun sank lower in the sky, the moon and sky coming out to play.

“Why didn’t we see this before?” Jack asked. “We really need to thank her one of these days.”

“We should save it for the wedding,” Hiccup said. “Totally call her out right in the middle of the procession! The look on her face would be absolutely priceless!” They laughed again. Everyone around at that time must have thought the two were delusional, but the staggered home, laughing their heads off. They got inside their house (because, who was kidding anyone? They’ve been living together since the graduated from Hogwarts a year ago), and collapsed onto the couch.

Toothless ran over and looked at the two, a deep rumbling in the dragon’s chest as he tilted his head in curiosity.

“Oh my god…” Jack gasped. “Leave it to Lauren to meddle with people’s love lives.”

“Hmph, yeah,” Hiccup said, laughing lightly and kissing Jack. “Leave it to Lauren…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELL THIS CHAPTER WAS A TRIP! IM SO SORRY!  
> the poem Lauren was quoting was "Oh Captain, My Captain" by Walt Whitman!  
> Thank you so much for reading!!!


	30. Wedding Day-Bonus Chapter!!

There was a knock on the door, and Hiccup looked away from the mirror as the door creaked open.

“Hiccup?” A girl’s voice rang out. “It’s just me.” Lauren slipped through the opening of the doorway and closed it after her. She was dressed in a pale green dress that stopped right above her knees, silver bangles jangling on her wrists, her hair pulled up out of her face and into an intricate design that flowed down her back. Her make-up was simple and barely noticeable.

“Lauren,” Hiccup breathed. “You look amazing.” He himself was dressed in a carefully tailored suit, a silk dark green tie fastened around his neck. His shoes shined, and he could see his reflection in them. Lauren just walked up to him and laughed, pulling him into a hug.

“Look at yourself, and then talk.” She said, the happiness in her voice flowing out of her. “You look spectacular.” Lauren remarked, then grabbed his hands and sat him down. “So… cold feet yet?” She asked.

“No,” Hiccup laughed, shaking his head. “Not now, not ever. Just… nervous.”

“It’s another chapter,” she said. “It’s a new beginning, run with it.”

“I know. I’m not saying I don’t want to get married, it’s just that… what if everything changes when it’s finally legal?” Hiccup wondered aloud. “You know how newly-weds are; all perfectly happy until three months later and then they’re at the courthouse, signing the divorce papers, saying marriage was the number one mistake they’ve ever made.”

Lauren just laughed lightly, her hazel eyes rolling for a brief second.

“What do you think will change, Hiccup?” She asked gently. “You already live together. You already have jobs. You two are perfectly happy with each other, marriage wouldn’t change any of that.” Hiccup grimaced, then looked up at her with a pained expression. “You’ve just got to trust me, Hiccup. You’re not going to regret this.”

“I can’t believe you willingly wore the dress.” Hiccup said, a little astounded.

“Stop changing the subject.” Lauren said, poking his forehead lightly. “The procession’s about to start. Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Hiccup replied, smiling.

* * *

 

“Jack?” Xavier asked, waving a hand in front of Jack’s face. “Jaaack~ Can you please pay attention?”

“No!”  Jack said, running his hands through his hair as he stood up and paced around. “I’m nervous as shit and…”

“Calm the hell down.” Xavier said, grabbing his shoulders and steering him to sit down again. “Now. What the fuck’s your problem?”

“Everyone’s been coming over here and telling me that this is a freakin’ mistake, and they’re saying that they got a Portkeys for fucking Portugal and three bottles of Firewhiskey and I can’t freaking take it anymore!” Jack said, rambling on for what seemed like forever. Xavier rolled his eyes, which were now almost black, and thumped Jack upside the head.

“Do you think this is a mistake?” Xavier demanded.

“Hell no!” Jack exclaimed, rubbing the sore spot on his head.

“Do you want to go to Portugal and get drunk off your ass?” Xavier asked.

“No…” Jack replied.

“Do you love Hiccup more than you love your own life?”

“Of course!”

“Did you propose to him?”

“No duh.”

“Then forget those assholes and listen to me.” Xavier said. “You and Hiccup are the best couple I’ve ever seen in my whole entire life.” Jack rolled his eyes. “This’ll probably be the best thing you’ll ever do. Nothing’s changing. You’re getting a ring. You’re signing a paper. Everyone will know you’re together now. He’s yours. You’re his. You’re just establishing that. I guarantee you all those assholes are jealous because they’ve never seen two people more in love.”

“God, X,” Jack said. “I’ve never seen you this mushy before.”

“Shut up, you know it’s true.” Xavier said. Jack stood up, and Xavier fixed his navy blue tie. “The procession’s about to start. We better get out there.”

Jack just nodded, anxiety gone and extremely relieved that he had Xavier as a friend.

* * *

 

The place was small. There was a white archway, laced with flowers of all shapes, sizes and colors, overlooking a lake. The grass was green, and the white chairs that were set up were filled with standing and beaming people. It wasn’t fancy, not like most people’s weddings; no, it was simple. And Jack and Hiccup planned it that way.

Slow, dream-like music filled the air, coming out of seemingly nowhere. The wind blew softly. Xavier came walking up the aisle, looking smart in his simple suit and his blonde hair tinged blue at the tips from excitement. He stopped at the white archway and took his spot on the right. Lauren followed, walking slowly, a huge smile on her face and her hands clasped in front of her. She stumbled a bit as she stopped and took her place opposite Xavier.

Then Jack appeared, walking down the very same aisle. His ears were bright red and his hands were fidgety, but his smile told everyone that he was the happiest man alive and there was nothing anyone could ever do to stop him. Jack looked like he would rather sprint up that aisle, but he forced himself to walk slowly and stand next to Xavier, who bumped his shoulder. He laughed lightly, then waved a little to Lauren, who smiled back, tears already in her eyes.

A black cat appeared at the aisle, making everyone take another look. Why would a cat be here? But a frilly-looking white pillow was strapped onto the cat’s midsection, and everyone understood instantly: this cat was the ring-bearer. The cat strutted down the aisle, looking at everyone skeptically, but then his eyes narrowed onto Lauren and walked towards her. He stopped next to her, and she bent down to pet his head affectionately before standing back up again and looking down the aisle along with everyone else.

Hiccup was standing there now, looking positively flustered in the best way possible. The music was still playing, the sweet notes traveling through the air as Hiccup picked his way down the aisle towards everyone else. The gentle wind tussled his hair as he looked at the floor uncertainly. As he looked up, he caught Jack’s eyes, and tears sprang up in his eyes, the smile on his lips growing ever-wider.

As he made it to the white archway, he stood next to Jack, their hands slipping together briefly to give the other a reassuring squeeze before letting go again. The music stopped with a flourish and the people present took their seats. There was a muted chatter going throughout the guests, wondering where the minister was…

CRACK! There was a crash of light and a man appeared in the middle of the archway. He was dressed in red robes with golden accents, his jet black hair was long, and his tanned skin glowed with youth. He had Apparated… and he landed the wrong way.

“Boom, baby! Dang… Did I go to the wrong place aga-?” He was saying loudly, before turning around and throwing a sheepish smile towards the people and the couple soon to be wed. “Oh hello.” He wrung his hands together. “Let’s get this started, shall we?” People laughed.

“Well, look at you two!” He said in an undertone to Hiccup and Jack. “You guys look absolutely fabulous. I love the whole blue-and-green thing you have going on. You got your tuxes tailored at Madame Rae’s, didn’t you? Ah, she’s amazing. You guys are simply-”

Lauren cleared her throat loudly.

“Oh, yeah, right then. We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of this lovely couple in holy matrimony!” The man said, throwing his hands out and nearly hitting Xavier in the face. “If anyone disagrees, please speak now or forever hold your peace? No? Great. Good. Okay.” He said snapping his fingers. “Where are the rings?!” He yelled. Toothless meowed lightly, moving towards Hiccup and jumping up in his arms. Everyone laughed at they plucked their respective rings from off the dainty-looking pillow and Hiccup seemingly-carelessly dropped the cat onto the floor.

 “Jackson, do you take this man to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, to honor and protect, to be the shoulder he cries on, to be the wind beneath his wings, to be everything he may ever need for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.” Jack said, the sincerity in his voice astounding as he nodded once to the man, and then looked to Hiccup with the dopiest smile on his face known to man.

“And Hiccup, do you take this man to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, to care for and tend to, to respect and adore, to be his forevermore, to be the fuel for his fire, and to be everything he may need for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.” Hiccup said, his smile growing wider than before, if it as even possible.

“GREAT! Feel free to kiss each other any time now!” The man exclaimed, clapping his hands loudly, making everybody laugh. Hiccup and Jack turned to look at each other slowly, and before either of them knew it, their lips were pressed together in a loving kiss, the emotion running through them like electricity. They heard their guests cheer but they took no notice. Hiccup stroke his husband’s hair ( _it felt so good to think it_!) while Jack wrapped his arms around Hiccup’s lithe waist. It was a while before they broke apart, giving everyone plenty of opportunity to take pictures.

When they did break apart however, Lauren was bawling and Xavier was trying to comfort her from a distance, mostly because they couldn’t move from the spots they were in until after Hiccup ad Jack walked down the aisle. Toothless meowed, the purr audible in the simple sound, and the newly-weds laughed. Slipping their hands together and holding on tightly, Hiccup and Jack made it back down the aisle, beaming at everyone on their way. Toothless, Lauren and Xavier followed.

Jack’s mother ran up, and hugged the both of them, squealing her congratulations, praise, pride, and love. Hiccup’s eyes watered at the thought of such a caring parent, and how it was the opposite of his own father, who didn’t show because of his hostility towards his son ever since he came out all those years ago. Jack saw the momentary discontent in his husband’s eyes and pressed a loving kiss onto his forehead.

A beautiful strawberry blonde with blue eyes came running up to the pair. She was wearing a short white dress that fell high above her knees with about three-inch, dangerous-looking white heels. Her carefully painted red lips kissed each of them on both cheeks before they could even respond.

“A-Astrid?” Hiccup asked, completely shocked. “I can’t believe you made it!”

“Of course I did!” The woman, Astrid, said. “Remember when we were kids? We always said we would be at each other’s wedding!”

“I didn’t really think that you would go through with it!” Hiccup said, laughing. Jack looked at the two oddly, and Hiccup looped his arms around Jack’s waist. “Jack, this is Astrid, a childhood friend of mine. Astrid, obviously, this is Jack, my husband.”

“Oh, look at you, saying it already.” Jack said, throwing his arm around Hiccup’s shoulders a he stuck his other hand out at Astrid. “Nice to meet you!”

“You too!” Astrid said, flashing them a smile before moving away so the others could congratulate.

“Jack!” A rather squeaky voice yelled. “Jack!” After a second of looking around, a boy with brown hair came running, colliding into Jack and nearly knocking the breath right out of his lungs. “Congrats!”

“Jaime?!” Jack said, crouching down and holding the kid arms’ length away. “Kid, what are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in forever!”

“I’m not a kid anymore, Jack. I’m thirteen.” Jaime said with an air of haughtiness that simply couldn’t be matched. “And you mom called up and wanted to know if I wanted to come!”

“Hiccup, this is my cousin, Jaime.” Jack introduced as an afterthought, and because of his forgetfulness, Hiccup laughed.

“This makes you my cousin, too. Huh?” Jaime asked critically.

“Yeah, pretty much!” Hiccup answered, smiling. It wasn’t a fraction of a second later that Jaime hugged him as well.

“Welcome to the family!” Jaime said before he ran off.

Hiccup and Jack greeted both Lauren and Xavier’s families with hugs and laughter. Words of congratulations and well-wishing filled the air. There wasn’t many people, but neither of them would have wanted it any other way. It was perfect. They were perfect.

It wasn’t long after that until the reception actually started. All able-bodied wizards helped out, pitching up the huge white tents and moving the tables and chairs into place. The stage was set up, and the food was brought out by the elves that were willing to help (they were from Hogwarts; North was nice enough to give them some help, even if he couldn’t be there). Before anyone could pile their plates high with the food, though, Hiccup and Jack took the stage.

“Hi everyone!” Hiccup said, his voice magically magnifying instantly and hushed the crowd easily.

“We would just like to say thank you for coming here to celebrate with us on this… this amazing day.” Jack said, slightly at a loss for words before gripping Hiccup’s hand and squeezing lightly.

“So!” Hiccup said, clapping his hands. “There’s food, and drinks and stuff over there! And a little later on we’ll cut the cake and open up the dance floor!” Everyone cheered at that.

“Bon appetite!” Jack said, throwing his hands up in the air. Everyone made a mad dash to the long table that the food was placed on. Jack and Hiccup didn’t move a muscle, though. That’s not entirely true, because Jack wound his arm around his husband’s waist and tugged him closer, and Hiccup rested his head on his shoulder.

“Are you okay, Mr. Frost?” Jack asked, smiling. Hiccup’s head twisted upwards, and their lips collided in an innocent kiss.

“Better than I’ll ever be, Mr. Haddock,” Hiccup replied, and the two of them burst out into laughter, clutching their sides and nearly falling onto the floor. “Gods, I love you.” Hiccup said lightly as soon as he could get enough air into his lungs to do so. Jack just smiled, brighter and wider than all his smiles before, and kissed his nose.

“I love you too.” He replied.

This felt… more personal than the procession. It was easy to say ‘I do’ in response to an eccentric man that acted like he was the shit all the time, in front of an audience that came just to see you say those words to a person you were publicly giving yourself away to. It felt almost as if it was a show, but that didn’t make the whole thing any less meaningful or memorable. This, right here, right now, felt private; this was a memory only the two of them would share while the other attendees remembered the food and the colorful lights and table decorations. The soft exchanges of ‘I love you’ away from the public eye, although they’ve said it a million times before this night, felt more binding than any ceremony they could ever do.

When everyone was finished getting their food, the newlyweds stormed the table. As a joke that only two other people at the wedding would get, a dish that was a part of the banquet were huge fluffy Belgium waffles (and there was a plate of chocolate chip cookies, but only Hiccup and Jack would really get the story behind that). Looking as if their sweet-teeth dominated all, the two went back to their table, waffles and cookies on their plates, orange soda in their cups.

Of course, they ate a lot more that night, practically until they were stuffed and could barely move. And then there was still the beautifully-crafted, white cake that still needed to be cut and eaten. But the show went on, and soon, the floor was open for the acknowledgements. Most people didn’t have this during their weddings, but for Hiccup and Jack, this was crucial; they had someone to call out and embarrass, that’s why.

“Everyone, gather around,” The eccentric man, Kuzco (the couple found out earlier), said, waving his arms in a circular motion. Everybody did as was told and Hiccup and Jack smiled.

“Again, we would like to thank you all for coming.” Jack repeated, a devilish smile stretching across his face.

“And the Hogwarts house-elves for the food.” Hiccup added.

“And my mother, who helped us and supported us when no one else would.” Jack said.

“But there is someone here today that we especially need to thank,” Hiccup said wryly, looking around at everyone. “This person has been a friend of ours since fifth year at Hogwarts, and is ultimately the reason why we are together to celebrate today.”

“Lauren, please come here.” Jack said, stretching his hand out towards the girl. She was a dark red, and she took his hand hesitantly. Lauren glared first at Hiccup, and then at Jack as she was pulled to stand in between the two.

“You guys are such jerks,” she mumbled, crossing her arms dramatically across her chest.

“Lauren,” Hiccup said gently, “you are the first person I told about my crush on Jack.”

“And vice versa,” Jack said.

“And you kept your promises to not tell anyways… until the very end, at least.” Hiccup added.

“I’m pretty sure that’s the only time I’ve seen anyone break a promise and not have anyone get mad.” Jack said, laughing, making everybody laugh along. “You and Xavier both, really. Because now that we think about it, he was probably in on the whole thing too.”

“Finally figured that one out, did you?” Xavier called over the faint chatter of the attendees, laughing a little.

“So we would just like to say thanks.” Hiccup said.

“But don’t try to match-make ever again.” Jack said, laughing a little. “Because that one took way too long to play out.”

“It’s not my fault you two were so stubborn…” Lauren said, giving both of them a kiss on the cheek and a hug in turn. “But you’re very welcome. If I could do it over again I would.” Hiccup and Jack smiled at this.

“Yeah, me too.” They both said at the same time, making everybody laugh at how perfect they were.

“So!” Jack said. “The floor is open! Everyone’s free to dance, or mess around with the photo booth! Thank you all for coming!”

“Have a good night everyone!” Hiccup yelled.

Most people Apparated shortly after that, but the dedicated stay, dancing and signing well-wishes on cards, taking an abundance of pictures in the Muggle photo both (Hiccup insisted that they get one, but Jack altered it a bit so it could take moving pictures as well).

The four stayed together, as always. Lauren, Xavier, Hiccup and Jack danced the night away, occasionally taking a shot or two of Firewhiskey, and taking pictures with funky fedoras and feather boas. Toothless weaved in and out of the crowd, getting praise for how cute he was, but never letting others touch him. He found the four, and leapt up into Hiccup’s arms. Lauren and Xavier fawned over the cat, and Jack just laughed.

“ **People are such idiots.** ” Toothless stated, making Jack laugh harder. When he sobered up, Toothless was looking him dead in the eye. “ **So, you have finally marked him with a ring. I am proud.** ”

“Thanks, Toothless.” Jack said quietly.

“ **My offer still stands, though.** ” The cat warned. Jack groaned.

“I know, I know. You know that I would never-”

“ **Still.** ” Toothless said, effectively cutting him off. “ **But I wish you both a long and happy marriage.** ”

“And you’ll be with us every step of the way, Toothless.” Jack said.

“Dude, you’re so weird… why are you talking to Toothless?” Xavier said, confused. Hiccup just laughed, and Lauren nudged his arm. “He can’t even talk back.”

“Oh, he can talk back, all right.” Jack quipped.

By this time, it was only the four, well five, of them left. Hiccup let Toothless fall onto the floor and dug out his wand from the inner pocket of his vest. With the spell, the cat turned into the Night Fury that Hiccup befriended all those years ago. With a leap, he tackled Hiccup and Jack, effectively pinning then onto the ground. The two struggled to get out from the dragon’s grip, but it was all in vain.

“Toothless-” Hiccup warned.

“No!” Jack said, seeing it coming.

Opening his mouth, Toothless dragged his tongue across both of them, a trail of dragon saliva coating the fronts of their tuxes and the sides of their faces. Instantly, Hiccup and Jack pushed their way out from under Toothless, and were on their feet in moments.

“Ugh!” Jack said, wiping the drool from his face.

“Toothless~” Hiccup whined, wiping his face with the crook of his left elbow as his hands worked at the substance on his front. “You _know_ that doesn’t wash out!”

Toothless gave a chortle as his reply. Hiccup and Jack glared at him as Lauren and Xavier nearly died of laughter in the background.

The four then had the very big task of breaking everything down, cleaning up, and putting everything away. Of course, the house-elves helped tremendously, but it still took quite a long while. About an hour later, the white tents were taken down, and the four were laden with armfuls of left-over food from the banquet.

“Hey, are you two still coming down to Romania for a while?” Hiccup asked, looking at the two with a smile.

“Of course!” Lauren said.

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Xavier agreed.

“Alright, we’ll see you then.” Jack said. Hugs were given, and farewells were exchanged, and Lauren and Xavier found themselves Apparating back to their homes. Hiccup and Jack found themselves alone for the first time in what felt like forever. They sighed, and slipped into each other’s arms, after sharing a not so innocent kiss, of course.

“What a night,” Jack breathed, holding onto Hiccup’s waist tightly.

“Definitely something I’ll never forget.” Hiccup sighed happily.

“Well, you better not!” Jack yelled, and they laughed hysterically for a minute. “Let’s get home.” Jack purred into his ear.

“Why of course,” Hiccup said.

Together, they saddled Toothless and tied the extra food they had onto the dragon’s pack. Jack pulled out his staff from one of the bags (which had an Undetectable Expansion Charm cast on it).

Hiccup, Jack, and Toothless flew off into the night, laughing and yelling joyously as they did so. Halfway through the ride back home, Jack slipped behind Hiccup on Toothless’ saddle and gently wrapped his arms around his husband’s wait so his fingers brushed his lower stomach. Hiccup bit his lip when Jack’s fingers began to move, tracing small, teasing patterns that instantly made him heat up. Jack saw this and chuckled lightly.

As they arrived at their home, Hiccup cast the spell on Toothless and stripped him of his flight gear. The dragon-turned-cat already knew what to do as he curled up on the welcome mat in front of the door. The two hurried inside, throwing the gear onto the floor as they joined in another heated kiss. Soon, their expensive tuxes were being ripped off deftly, and abandoned on the wood floor. Just down to their underwear, Hiccup wrapped his legs around Jack’s waist, and Jack cupped Hiccup’s ass as he stumbled towards their bedroom.

Well, their honeymoon had to start sometime, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t ending soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh goodness.... that ending...   
> BUT YEAH! CAMEO APPEARANCES BY KUZCO, ASTRID, AND JAIME!! Surprise!!  
> Well, i hope you liked this story, and I'm so glad that you read it!  
> There IS a second story to this series, which is "The Three Musketeers and The Meddling Witch," which almost basically has the same plot as this but with a HUGE twist (or i think so anyways XD) that should be up soon, so look out for that!!  
> Thank you all for reading! Please Review!  
> have a nice day!


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